TL;DR: Not Recommended
A pretty, well-made movie that is a little silly, but has some interesting supernatural elements.
When reviewing something, there is a place where you need to meet the work on its own ground. You have to be willing to take the work as it is, and not as you need it to be. There’s a point where the work has to meet certain criteria for you to decide how effective it is, but going into a listen of a heavy metal record, hating heavy metal, the odds are really high that you’ll come away unimpressed. It’s the same way with everything. Every reviewer has blind spots, and areas where they just don’t like things, and the best you can hope from them, is to be as fair as possible.
I know I try to do that, but at least the best I can.
Some things may not connect with you, and that’s fine, but if you go in with a sour attitude, you’re not giving the work a fair shake.
I say all this to say that in reviewing “A Beautiful Breakup” I had to remind myself that this is an Indian, and has the beats of an Indian film, and tackles its story and themes through that lens.
“A Beautiful Breakup” is the story of a couple at the end of their relationship. They have traveled from London, England, to a remote home in India, owned by the man’s father, where they plan to end their relationship. Their idea is to give their relationship a beautiful end, that is memorable. While at the estate, they act as a normal unmarried couple would, all while the clock ticks down for their end. As they look for the perfect place to end things, they keep disagreeing on where to do it, raising issues between them, as they both get anxious about what is to come. What the two don’t know is that there are three spirits that have been trapped within the home, locked away in bottles and desperate to be freed so they can get their revenge. As the tension between the two rises, this opens the door for one of the spirits to be freed, and influence the two, though what their intentions are remain hidden, but whatever they may be, the couple won’t be the same afterward.
One weird thing I do have to mention here is that the film is billed as “based on some true events,” which is just such a weird thing, but hey, there you go.
The film is well made, with a very clean digital look, giving it the feel of a travelogue. This works as it shows the beautiful surroundings of the estate, but gives the film an odd, almost soap operatic look when the actors are interacting. The core of the story is…odd to say the least, though the idea of a “good” breakup, or in this case a “beautiful” one, seems strange to me. It may not be to others, but to me it is. So right off the bat it’s a strange idea. The movie has a hard time getting its tone as the first thing you are given is the introduction of the spirits, and their plight, setting an eerie tone, but then it’s countered with the drama of the couple. At its heart, this is a romantic film, and that takes the center stage until the last third, where things take a strange turn. The interactions between the couple seem easy, though their banter can get awkward, and for me, I found it easy to see why they’d break up.
The film follows the structure and has the look and feel of a traditional Indian drama, with a lot of melodrama, and broad acting. It all does work, and the supernatural element adds a helpful layer to things. Logic has to be put aside as you either go along for the ride, or cross your arms and refuse to.
The biggest knock I can offer is that things are done in such a way that they leave the door wide open for a second film, boasting of it as the movie concludes, but it really hampered the ending for me. I get that it’s something more common in the films of other cultures, but it didn’t work for me.
It’s a harmless film, with decent acting, attractive leads, and an interesting supernatural element that will appeal to many. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but it may be yours.
2 out of 5
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14191408/?ref_=fn_t_1
TL;DR:
Harmless Indian romantic melodrama with supernatural overtones that won’t stay with you, but may entertain you while it’s on.
The movie will be released on Feb. 13, 2026.
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