Short takes on films that I came across in the Sixth Intl. Film Festival in Mumbai, November 2003
Women's Prison (Zendan-e-Zenan), Iran - Dir: Manijeh Hekmat
A grim but touching tale about the bonding that arises between a prisoner and the jail warden in a women's prison in Iran. Based on actual facts the film chronicles the life in the prison over a period of twenty years. Having been exposed to Iranian movies that were largely similar to Indian movies - as in emotional manipulation using large dollops of sentiment - this movie came as a shock and an eye opener. The setting is grim and the prisoners are no innocent do-gooders, rather they are a mix of petty and hardened criminals, most of whom are victims of a harsh legal system that came into being after the Iranian revolution. At one level the movie just reiterates that the human mind is capable of a degree of perversion and viciousness beyond imagination. What is new is the depiction of such behaviour in a closed society that places a high premium on religious orthodoxy. Just goes to prove that organised religion has always overstated its hold over human behaviour. In the movie, Mitra is the prisoner convicted of murder and Tahereh is the dogmatic warden who has been sent to the prison to restore order and discipline after a revolt. Though Tahereh is inherently well-meaning she is a bit of a stickler for rules, what you would call stuffy. She is also constantly fighting the indifference of her superiors in the face of a sluggish legal system and an overflowing prison. Mitra on the other hand is rebellious but she is also optimistic and pins her faith on the innate goodness of many of her fellow prisoners. Though initially Mitra and Tahereh don't see eye to eye over the years a grudging respect and admiration builds up between the two. Being a natural leader, Mitra's sense of responsibility wins over Tahereh. And Mitra realizes that Tahereh means well for the prisoners but is unable or unwilling to express herself. In the end, Tahereh lobbies for Mitra's release but the actual parting leaves her bitter and defeated. In a moving scene and in a reversal of roles, we see Mitra walking free while the prison gates close with Tahereh inside and no hope of ever getting out. In the end, the movie just sends out a message of hope that faith in humanity can sustain the human spirit under any circumstances.
Silent Water (Khamosh Pani), Pakistan/France/Germany - Dir: Sabiha Sumar
A truly international effort, this movie is set in the context of the Indo-Pak partition. Before you throw up your hands and moan about yet another movie on partition, relax. This one is different, contemporary and well-made. It doesn't make a political statement, being essentially a story of how the echo of partition comes back to haunt and destroy lives in a village in Pakistan. The story begins not in 1947 but in 1979 when Pakistan is under Gen. Zia-ul-Haq's martial law. Ayesha is a widow who lives in Charkhi village and dotes on her teenage son Saleem who is in love with Zubeida. Ayesha manages a living from her deceased husband's pension and hopes that Saleem will turn out to be responsible and share her burden. However Saleem, like scores of youth across Pakistan in those years, falls under the influence of a group of Islamic fundamentalists. In a subtle treatment of the change in Saleem, the fundamentalists are able to appeal to his longing for a change from the village life and his yearning to assert himself in front of the women in his life. Slowly a distance grows betwen Saleem and Ayesha and then between him and Zubeida. Events take a dramatic turn when a group of Sikh pilgrims visit the village (to visit a Sikh gurdwara in the village) as part of normalisation of Indo-Pak relations. One of the pilgrims looks for his sister who was left behind in the village during partition. Events swiftly escalate out of control and everyone involved is forced to make a choice. Saleem makes his under the spell of religious fanaticism. Ayesha is left with only one dignified choice. The movie doesn't end there but moves forward twenty three years to show us a glimpse into the lives of Zubeida and Saleem who have each moved on in life along their separate paths. This glimpse underlines the contradictions in the Pakistani society today. A stand out performance by Kirron Kher (Ayesha) and an understanding portrayal by Aamir Malik (Saleem) are the highlights of the movie. Ayesha's character is well etched with her Sufi outlook on life and her struggle towards the end to maintain her dignity. The movie is well served by the screenplay which strikes the right tempo barring towards the end when one of the scenes involving Sikh pilgrims is not developed properly (I later found out that some sequences could not be shot due to objections by the local community of Sikhs). This is Sabiha Sumar's first feature film and she has delivered a thoughtful, well-crafted effort. A must see, specifically for us in India. The movie is not complimentary about Islamic fundamentalism or Zia's reign but the Paksitan government allowed the film to be shot there. Here in India, Deepa Mehta is still unable to film Water.
Sophie's World (Sofies Verden) - Norway, Sweden/Dir: Erik Gustavson/1999/113 min
This is an adaptation of Jostein Gaarder's international bestseller of the same name. Sofie is an ordinary Norwegian teenager. She starts getting messages from a certain Alberto Knox. One day she receives a tape from Knox in which he talks to her from Ancient Greece. They start interacting regularly and Knox takes Sofie on a tour of the hitory of philosophy starting from Ancient Greece through Middle Ages, Renaissance, the Revolutions and upto today. Along the way, they realise that they are not living beings but actually characters in the imagination of a storywriter. Sofie starts scripting her own plot to escape into relaity and she persuades a sceptical Knox into helping her.
The movie is a brave, creative interpretation of the novel. However it suffers from a lack of purpose or identity. We are unable to decide whether it is a movie on philosophical history or a Matrix like science fiction movie. Part of the problem is that the script fails to indentify and build on a central theme. Probably this was the best that could have been done with the book's format. I have a suggestion though - the subject seems tailor made for a mini television series. Away from the confines of a 2 hr movie, the script for the series can do ample justice to the various philosophers we come across as well as develop the reality vs fiction theme.
The Story of Women (Une affaire de femmes) - France/Dir: Claue Chabrol/1988/108 min
The best of the lot that I saw during the festival. Set during the second world war in Occupied France, the film is a thoughtful and balanced look at abortion. Marie, a housewife supporting kids while her husband is on the frontline, helps her neighbour to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy (a crime against the state then). When the neighbour rewards her handsomely, Marie quickly realises the potential for such services and it becomes a routine for her. Wounded and back from the war and literally shellshocked, her husband is amazed by the new riches and is unable to fathom his wife's secret. Marie, enthused by her success, rents out rooms in her apartment to prostitutes and enlarges her operations. She is completely in thrall with her newfound prosperity and goes on to find a lover for herself (a German collaborator). Marie doens't even pause when one of her "operations" go wrong and the woman dies. By this time, her husband is a completely marginalised figure in the family. However things are not bound to last this way and her secret is betrayed. A wartime government is desperate to make an example out of her and Marie is sentenced to be guillotined.
The Director dosen't take any sides but just tells the story as he perceived it (based on a real life story). Marie is not an evil woman after money but a resourceful person with a keen business sense who senses a practical way to support her family. The character is done ample justice by Isabelle Huppert who barely betrays an emotion at the beginning when she is with her family. But gradully, she relaxes and starts enjoying as her life takes a turn for the better. An interesting sidelight is the character of Marie's little son who is made to feel sidelined by Marie's excessive affection for her daughter. By the end, even if her character strikes a cold note in our hearts, Marie wins our respect when she stands tall in comparison to the Vichy authorities. Our sympathies are aroused as we see her kids prepare for a life without their mother.
I thought that I had a well-thought out opinion on abortion but now I am confused. All I can think is that it is an issue close to women's hearts but it is largely judged upon or legislated in a man's world. And that's unfair. The movie also makes us think about capital punishment. I have come to believe that it is a monstrosity in a civilised world.
