Where silence speaks louder than words: Humans in the Loop

 Dr Ramandeep Mahal reviews Humans in the Loop

Netflix’s Humans in the Loop is a beautiful Indian drama centered on the lives of Adivasi (tribal) women. Directed by Aranya Sahay and released in 2024, the film won the FIPRESCI-India Grand Prix for Best Film as well as the top honor at the Bengaluru Film Festival. Produced by Storiculture and Sauv Films, with Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar, and Mathivanan Rajendran as producers, the movie was developed through a fellowship Sahay received from the Museum of Imagined Futures.

​

If you wish to glimpse the lives of tribal communities living around the forests of Jharkhand, this film is an excellent choice. Humans in the Loop runs for nearly one hour and forty-five minutes and unfolds as a story within a story. It follows Nehma (Sonal Madhushankar), an Adivasi woman navigating a difficult journey after separating from her husband. Struggling to raise her two children, Dhaanu (Ridhima Singh) and her infant son Guntu, Nehma finds herself caught between tradition and modernity.

​

Early in the film, we learn about “dhuku marriage,” a local form of live-in relationship that lacks legal recognition when separation occurs. Conflict arises when Nehma’s daughter longs to live with her father, missing the urban life she once knew. Returning to her village, Nehma begins working as a data labeller at an AI centre, annotating raw footage for foreign clients. The irony is striking—someone who finds life even in stones now spends her days teaching machines to “see.”

​

Sahay skillfully juxtaposes two contrasting worlds in Nehma’s life: one where nature is revered as divine, and another where science and technology seem to claim that status. As AI permeates the modern world, the film compellingly demonstrates how it operates, even exploring the eerie moment when a downloaded AI-generated image “comes to life.”

​

Parallel to Nehma’s professional world is the turmoil of her personal one—her custody battle for her daughter. The film’s exploration of AI is one of its most powerful aspects. It draws a poignant comparison between artificial intelligence and a child learning through human guidance, exposing how bias seeps into even our most ordinary choices.

​

The film also tenderly portrays the solidarity among women working long hours at their screens, sharing quiet conversations amid digital drudgery. One particularly touching scene shows Nehma and her daughter watching little Guntu take his first steps, juxtaposed with Nehma animating her AI character’s first digital movements. The recurring image of a porcupine adds a layer of symbolism, representing Nehma’s connection to nature—her resilience, her sensitivity, and perhaps her instinct for self-preservation. The porcupine’s quills even seem to guide Guntu when he wanders into the forest.

​

The performances are deeply natural, free of overacting. The dialogue carries traces of a tribal accent, though the primary language remains Hindi. The evolving relationship between Nehma and Dhaanu serves as an emotional core, symbolizing generational continuity.

​

This film will particularly appeal to those who appreciate quiet cinema, where silence speaks louder than words. Beyond its thoughtful commentary on artificial intelligence, the film is an ode to human determination and maternal strength. Sahay manages to express profound emotion with minimal dialogue, a rare cinematic feat. Though the pace may feel slow, the film’s depth, poetry, and visual beauty make it immensely rewarding.

​

With its stunning cinematography, nuanced performances, and meditative themes of bias, culture, and identity, Humans in the Loop leaves viewers with a resonant message: every rock has life—you just have to listen for its heartbeat.

​

Rating: ★★★★☆ (8.5/10)
Watch it when you’re in the mood for a contemplative, quietly powerful film.