Lounge Loves: ‘Midsommar’, ambient escapes and more

Ambient Escapes

I have recently discovered YouTube channels like Forest Jazz Lounge and Tranquil Morning Ambience that combine ambient instrumental music with gently looping scenic visuals, and they’ve completely transformed my work routine. As someone who needs background music for every activity, I have always relied on instrumental playlists. But these long-form videos offer something more immersive. The subtle movement of a crackling fireplace, swaying trees, or gentle waves create an illusion of reality. When I glance up from my laptop for a breather, I’m instantly transported. That cafe overlooking autumn foliage or that cosy cottage by a serene lake surrounded by pine trees becomes my workspace view, even if momentarily. It’s a small escape that makes hours of focused work feel less confined.

—Shephali Bhatt

Black Beauty

I watched a man veer to the other side of a road on his morning walk as he spotted a stray black cat. Here he was, striding right into a high AQI day without a mask, and feeling threatened by a cat of a certain colour. Bad omens are all around us: in the form of pollutants in the air, water, mind; in sodium- and sugar-saturated snacks; in pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables; as trolls on social media. The list is endless. Amid this general haziness, a black cat—like a black Labrador or a black Dachshund—is a thing of beauty. Think Miyazaki’s Jiji or Salem Saberhagen in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I happened to come across this gorgeous cat with eyes like saucers, sitting on the boundary wall of a house. It did not slink away and was nonchalant as I tried to take a picture. As if saying, hurry along now, you are obstructing my view of that bird.

—Nipa Charagi

Organic Horror

I don’t know exactly why I had not watched the folk horror film Midsommar all these years—it was released in 2019—but, well, better late than never. An unholy child of The Wicker Man (1973) and Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), Midsommar updates the creepiness of sinister neo-pagan European cults by placing a very modern toxic relationship smack in the middle of the story. Some wise-cracking reviewer once called it an extreme breakup film, and it is that, but much more. The horror arising out of a murderous nature cult lies not in the acts of violence or terror itself, but how seductive the sense of community can be for people searching for a sense of belonging. Midsommar depicts this brilliantly, and it is for this reason that the film will stay with me.

—Bibek Bhattacharya

Forest essential

Satyajit Ray made children’s films and comedies but there’s only one hangout movie in his oeuvre, the kind you revisit because it’s a joy spending time with the characters. That film was 1970’s Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest). A quartet of Kolkata men—played by Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Samit Bhanja, Rabi Ghosh—head to a forest for a vacation, where they meet three women (Sharmila Tagore, Kaberi Bose, Simi Garewal). The film—which includes the unforgettable memory game sequence—is one of Ray’s most charming efforts. A newly restored version is playing in Kolkata this week ahead of a nationwide release.

—Uday Bhatia