Marriage Cops

80 minutes | 2025 | Hindi with English subtitles In a Dehradun police station, unhappy couples bring their marital troubles to an all-woman team of officers. Marriage Cops is an intimate observational documentary that follows three couples, from everyday domestic disputes to harrowing cases of violence and neglect, and the officers who mediate between them. What is the state doing in our bedrooms? The film finds no clear villains and no pure victims. Those seeking help can exercise agency despite their dire circumstances, using the state’s power to their own advantage. The police, for all their authority, can feel powerless before an institution in which entire families and communities have a stake. Moments of heartbreak sit alongside warmth and humour, as the officers shift between enforcers and counsellors. The result is a nuanced portrait of a place where traditional marriage values meet emerging ideas of women’s rights.