Konkana Sensharma’s feature debut doesn’t feel like one: she is strictly in control of the audience’s emotions from literally the first shot to the last. The writing meanders moodily into intriguing side-plots, complex character revelations and a tone that is pitch, pitch black. In tonal quality, this reminds me of Anurag Kashyap’s underrated’Ugly’. What helps this is the near-flawless acting by every actor, especially Vikrant Massey, who adds to Shutu’s character a vulnerability hard not to sympathise with.The music and sound design are equally masterful. These craftsmen know when to let silences speak for themselves and when to amp up the music to heighten tension. A Death in the Gunj is hard to slot in a single genre. From black comedy to horror, I’ve heard it be described differently from different people. The best way to make up your own mind is to watch it at the earliest. It’s one of those rare films that keep you riveted without any cheap tricks or narrative contrivances.