Venice 2026 – ‘Our Share of Sand’ – shifting family loyalties make for absorbing watch
Film shot in India, helmed by Brit Shalini Adnani, has just had its world premiere at Critic’s Week in Venice (September 2-12)… it screened today for the first time…
TWELVE is the age at which we become more aware of the world and our place in it.
Brit Shalini Adnani’s first feature, ‘Our Share of Sand’ puts us at the heart of 12 year old Maya’s (Maya Mehta) world, as the young British girl wrestles with a huge dilemma that could see her life and family unravel.
Back in India with her mother, Priti (Ellora Torchia), the two are readjusting to life and its rhythms in a rural, unspecified area – reference is made to the Marathi (Maharashtra) language and Hindi – so it could be anywhere across a huge swathe of central and North India. The region is unimportant – what is, is the business Maya’s Dad – Rohan (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) is involved in – it’s the cement business and extracting sand from a nearby riverbed – all this is manually done.
The early scenes are near idyllic: Maya swims with Kiran who works for her Dad – he is around the same age, and there’s an easy innocent friendship that grows out of familiarity and security.
Maya’s grandmother (Jyoti Dogra) narrates the family story – her grandfather left Pakistan following Partition and brings all that he had with him at that time – a precious diamond.
The Mirani family are rich – their house is sprawling, and they have both domestic staff and those who work with them in their business.
Adnani is adept at delineating a world that is of stark contrasts and the unarticulated tension that often lies beneath polite social conventions.
Maya doesn’t really understand these in the way the adults of the household do – at one point her father tells Maya explicitly of her young companions: “They are not your friends”.
The film explores these unspoken boundaries – between the haves and the havenots and brings them into sharp conflict.
One night, a crew go out in the cover of darkness – it isn’t entirely explained quite why they are out at this time – but you can surmise that what they are doing isn’t really within the bounds of the law.
What happens on the boat is at the centre of the film – there is a tragic incident and Maya who has climbed on the boat for a small adventure – with the eventual permission of her father – finds herself drawn into an inquiry as to what exactly occurred.
A police investigation is initiated, and Maya is a witness. At first, she feels obliged to tell it like it is – without appreciating what this might do for her family and especially her father’s business.
Her mother impresses upon her – the consequences and intelligent and sensitive as Maya is, she acquiesces an explanation, which helps her Dad.
Slowly, her position begins to waver and it is this that gives the film its power and direction.
It isn’t predictable – and Adnani refrains from being didactic or overtly condemning – of anyone – even the father who clearly is compromised and has left his conscience at the bottom of the riverbed…
For the most part, the family is well drawn and easily relatable – the back story of why they have returned to India from Britain and how Ravi and Priti came to be together – is not well sketched but shouldn’t be an issue in itself. The mix of languages though a little inconsistent (with mum) gives the film a certain authenticity.
The strength of ‘Our Share of Sand’ comes from Adnani’s ability to hold many unsaid things and let them hang in the air between all the characters.
There is one scene of confrontation – it does appear a little contrived but the conversation between an aggrieved family and Priti and Maya are well portrayed and reveal how the young girl’s stance is shifting…or is it?
There are strong performances throughout and Maya is especially strong in combining innocence with a growing maturity and independence, we see unfurl in the film itself.
While some may well focus on the obvious core issue of child labour and its exploitation and rightly so – deeper currents run subtly and powerfully beneath a strong social realism perspective.
Ultimately, inequality, privilege and how far traditional boundaries can be traversed become larger ideas, as do ecological degradation, models of development and the clash between western sensibilities and Indian convention.
This is a strong film, well shot and acted – and tightly constructed at just over 90 minutes – it will be interesting to see what sort of conversations it sparks – especially among those who have to navigate (negotiate?) a western educated egalitarian mindset against an acceptance of uncomfortable social realities in India or South Asia.
ACV rating: **** (Out of five)
Our Venice preview: https://asianculturevulture.com/venice-2026-preview-lovers-in-the-blue-night-the-difficult-bride-our-share-of-sand-and-other-films/
Venice Critics Week (September 2-6) – https://sicvenezia.it/en/
Toronto International Film Festival (September 10) – https://www.tiff.net/films/our-share-of-sand
London Film Festival (from October 10) – See here
You will find more on Instagram and YouTube Shorts channels
