Raspberry Magic

(USA, 2009, 82 mins, Video)

Producer: Megha Kadakia
Writer: Leena Pendharkar
Cinematographer: Jeffrey Chu
Editor: Zack Arnold
Cast: Lily Javaherpour, Keya Shah, Meera Simhan, Ravi Kapoor

In Person: Megha Kadakia, Ravi Kapoor, Meera Simhan, Lily Javaherpour, Keya Shah, Emily Schweber

Eleven-year-old Monica Shah (the wonderfully charming Lily Javaherpour) is a slightly awkward but totally precocious tween who spends all her free time preparing for the regional science fair. Her hypothesis: “Touch therapy can accelerate the growth of rubus idaeus.” (In other words, human contact can help raspberry plants grow.) To Monica, raspberries are more than just a desired fruit; they represent “the perfect balance of sweet and sour, the good and the bad,” the right combination necessary to savor all the flavors of life itself. When Monica’s father loses his job and her mother’s cherished cookbook idea loses steam, the fragile bonds keeping them all together begin to wear thin; even her little sister begins to mimic the parents’ depression. Through the turmoil, Monica continues with her raspberry experiment; soon it becomes less about winning at the fair, and more about proving the importance of human connection—and getting her parents back together. Things take a turn for the worst when a classmate sabotages her experiment and her father moves out, but Monica might just have a few tricks up her sleeve to work the kind of magic needed to sort it all out… Pendarkar’s winning debut feature is a charming coming-of-age tale which explores the delicate nature of human relations and the complex web of emotions that tie us together. Evoking the quirky adolescence of Wes Anderson’s RUSHMORE, but taking it in a wholly fresh and heartfelt direction, RASPBERRY MAGIC is an enormously satisfying film about staying in touch.

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