The Coward

Satyajit Ray explores the ache of desire in this exquisitely brief, emotionally layered chamber piece, in which Amitabha (Soumitra Chatterjee), a screenwriter from Kolkata, finds himself unexpectedly reunited with his now-married former lover Karuna (Madhabi Mukherjee) when his car breaks down near her home in the countryside. As memories and feelings from the past resurface, Amitabha must confront one of his life’s greatest regrets.