‘The poetry of earth is never dead’: Revisiting Satyajit Ray’s Two in the Anthropocene1

Indian maestro Satyajit Ray’s short Two: A Film Fable , made for the Esso World Theater in 1964, captures a playful rivalry between two boys from two different economic strata of Indian society. The film has traditionally been read as a fable representing class conflict, as a commentary on American aggression in Vietnam and as a critique of capitalism. Taking into account Heidegger’s notion of enframing and dwelling , in addition to the idea of ‘earth alienation’ in Ardent, I argue that Two ’s visual and aural signifiers assume a new significance in the Anthropocene, facilitating a deliberation on the film in relation to our planetary concerns.