By Sanyukta Thakare

SANZARU is a Gothic tale, a journey to the heart of a haunted house. A house haunted, as much by death, as by secrets.

Sanzaru does not belong in your immediate ideas of horror, there are no creepy faces or bodies lurking in the dark. Instead, we meet the demons of our minds and our pasts. The only way out is not to let it take hold over you so that you don’t forget the true meaning of life.

Evelyn, a young Filipina nurse along with her nephew, Amos, is living on an isolated estate while taking care of Dena, an ageing matriarch of a Texas family. Dena has been surfing from Dementia and is convinced someone is stealing from her in the house. Evelyn, on the other hand, is trying is just trying to take care of Dena and make some money to make her ends meet. As time passes by, Evelyn discovers more about her employing family. Dena and her kids too had a horrible past and it keeps the family tied together, to the house and their trauma.

While the family is fighting to keeps its own secret so is Evelyn, she trying to keep it together for Amos and his future. It is always hard to uncover a dark secret that is sure to have big consequences, and here it is necessary. While the living are struggling, the dead are watching waiting for their moment to pry. The hatred and secrets in the house, makes it a hot spot for the supernatural.

Mr Sanzaru, on the other side, since his death has been waiting to return and take hold of his family, feeding off the anger of his son and wife, he plans on keeping them inside the house. But Evelyn’s mother, who had also passed away wanted to save her daughter and grandson. So she does her best to help her family from the other side. The filmmaker tents to encourage its audience to open up and move on from past trauma. It will only make you suffer more when you have a chance to set yourself free, of all things that have been haunting you.

Sanzaru has its premiere at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City. For more information about Sanzaru go to www.facebook.com/sanzaru/