Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Cactus Pears

Play trailer 1:57 Poster for Cactus Pears Nov 2025 1h 52m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 31 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Anand, a 30-something city dweller compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with a local farmer who is struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress.
Cactus Pears

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Directed with a razor-sharp eye for character by Rohan Kanawade, Cactus Pears is an understated romance that gracefully pulls out the prickles from grief.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More (31)
Natalia Winkelman New York Times While the film centers on the comfort Anand finds with Balya and vice versa, it is also an elegantly reserved study of Anand’s grief, finding a rhythm in its scenes of ritual that allows us to ache alongside. Nov 20, 2025 Full Review Charles Lyons-Burt Slant Magazine The film is at its best when it fashions itself as a kind of ouroboros where the future and the past, death and new love, circle back on one another. Rated: 3/4 Nov 16, 2025 Full Review Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter In less assured hands, Cactus Pears might have edged into trite territory, yielding to the familiar beats of trauma-laden queer love stories, but Kanawade’s considered direction and spare storytelling keep the narrative refreshing. Jul 31, 2025 Full Review Gregory Nussen Screen Rant As Anand navigates the prickly traditionalist, religious culture from which he came, Kanawade softly depicts the nervy, yet exhilarating process of self-actualization with sweet, soft care. Rated: 8/10 Nov 24, 2025 Full Review Joseph Neff Spectrum Culture An unusually assured debut, this Indian romantic drama thrives on great performances and quiet attention to detail. Nov 24, 2025 Full Review Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall Packed with local traditions and interpersonal details, the film is powerfully involving as writer-director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade continually finds unexpected layers of resonance. Rated: 4.5/5 Nov 23, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (2)
Rahul S Moved at a decent pace. Really moving story of not only the romantic relationship between two men but also the love between a mother and her son. Strongly recommend. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/25/25 Full Review Stephen C Pride in 1 hour and 52 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/21/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Cactus Pears

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Fairyland 98% 88% Fairyland Watchlist TRAILER for Fairyland El Houb 100% 90% El Houb Watchlist Queens of the Qing Dynasty 84% % Queens of the Qing Dynasty Watchlist Swan Song 92% 79% Swan Song Watchlist TRAILER for Swan Song Wildhood 100% 85% Wildhood Watchlist TRAILER for Wildhood Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Anand, a 30-something city dweller compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with a local farmer who is struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress.
Director
Rohan Kanawade
Producer
Naren Chandavarkar, Neeraj Churi, Rohan Kanawade, Mohamed Khaki, Sidharth Meer, Kaushik Ray, Hareesh Reddypalli
Screenwriter
Rohan Kanawade
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Production Co
Dark Stories, Lotus Visual Productions, Moonweave Films, Taran Tantra Telefilms, Bridge PostWorks
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
Marathi
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 21, 2025, Limited
Runtime
1h 52m