The Ultimate Roadrash

I was coming back from my ancestral home. There had been a slight drizzle. The pleasant smell of fresh rain was in the air. The muddy road I was walking through would meet the main tar road after a turn. When I passed the turn I saw that. A girl, may be eight or nine years old (studying in third standard, I learnt later), was talking to a person on a bike. He was wearing a helmet. Actually, he was talking to the girl. She was only looking at him. He took something from his pant pocket and began to give it to her. Then suddenly I noticed it: what he was giving was his penis! Black as sin. A sudden and loud growl escaped from me, accompanied by a long forgotten Malayalam expletive. On seeing me, he quickly wrapped up the thing and started his bike and fled. All this happened so quickly that I could not notice the registration number of the bike. I know only that it is a Hero Honda bike. The girl looked at me in bewilderment. I was also shocked. I asked her whether she knew the person. She shook her head as if saying no. I was disappointed. I could only order her to go home quickly.

Because he was wearing a helmet, I am not able to recognize him correctly. Since mine is a small village, there are not many people with Hero Hondas. But it is a link road and people of the neighbouring localities also use this road. The person on the bike had a similar build (and a similar shirt and a same kind of bike) as a particular person in our village. But I am not sure. He is married and well-respected. He does not wear helmet also. I am keeping quite about this because I don’t want to open a can of worms. Village gossip spreads faster and takes new forms quicker than any deadly virus. But still I cannot digest the fact that something like this happened in our village, that too in broad day light and on an open road.

Loan Waiver: A Harvest for Non-farmers

Finally, the much awaited list of beneficiaries of the farmer’s loan waiver scheme has been out in Kerala. The scheme is initiated and sponsored by the Indian government. In fact, it was one of the proposals that applied the cosmetic of “people friendly” to the otherwise dull and unattractive budget. The beneficiaries in my area (that is, in and around Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram district) include a pharmacist in a private hospital who had attempted some spectacularly failed businesses, a local money lender, a gulf returnee who has been trying to become a local strongman ever since, an incorrigible alcoholic who is said to be in the brink of suicide and, not the one to be left behind in such matters, a local leftist politician. One thing is common among all these people: None of them are farmers. Not a single one is likely to distinguish between the seeds of beans and brinjal.

Right from the time of announcement there have been concerns and reservations about the benefits of the scheme reaching the deserving farmers. In fact, there were no clear guidelines to identify the deserving candidates. Nationalized banks like SBT and primary co-operative societies in Kerala mainly considered the ‘time’ factor for choosing the beneficiaries. Whoever had taken agriculture loan between December 1997 and December 2006 are eligible for the scheme. Only thing they should do is, err, do nothing about the loan. If any of them made the mistake of repaying a part of the loan amount or interest, thanks, but no loan waiver for them.

The problem lies in distributing agriculture loans. Most of the nationalized banks distribute gold loans under the guise of agricultural loans. Normally, the rate of interest of gold loans varies from 9% to 12%. But the rate of interest of agriculture loans is a mere 7%. So what these banks do in an inspired procedural maneuver is that they convert gold loans into agricultural loans accepting gold as security. By this way, banks can easily attain their yearly target of agriculture loans, and they have easily recoverable security in gold. The customers also will be happy as they need to pay less money as interest. Only thing they need to provide other than the gold and identity proof is a receipt of land tax payment issued by the village office. Many non-farmers who availed this kind of agriculture gold loans benefited from the so-called election gimmick of the finance minister. Millions of rupees of tax payer’s money have been given to undeserving people by the government and its agencies in the name of providing relief to farmers. It was reported in The Hindu by Mr. P. Sainath that the notorious stock broker Kethan Parekh was a beneficiary of the previous loan waiver bonanza in the 1990s. Going by the list of beneficiaries this year, it appears that no steps have been taken to prevent such incidents.

Tail piece: The central government had printed a letter to the beneficiaries of the loan waiver scheme signed by Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh. It states that the farmers are the backbone of the country, the government is committed to support farmers in any crisis, and the usual blah blah. The authorities of the primary co-operative societies run by LDF-led panel cleverly dumped this letter, saying that “they [the Congress] should not get election mileage out of this.”

Hanging Cradles of Koonambai

Cradles of Hope

The tree is flooded with cradles, on which hang the hopes and happiness of many a family. Myth has it that childless women will be blessed with babies if they tie cradles to a tree in the temple courtyard. This photo is taken from Koonambai temple, near Kollam. Such a practice is popular in many temples in Kerala, but none as popular as Koonambai temple. (Photo credit: Subhash Chirayinkeezhu.)

Blog, blogger, bloggest … Degrees of one-upmanship

“Blog” is ordinary, quite ordinary. Blogger imagine himself to be better, comparatively being in a higher state than the blog. And the “bloggest” are the comments which look superior to both the blog and the blogger. If you are wondering what is the fuzz all about, please visit the Malayalam blog of M.K. Harikumar (who is reasonably well known among the tiny circle of people who still care about Malayalam literature review) and see yourself the posts written in obscure prose and the comments they provoked.

XXY = 10+4: IFFK 2007 Retreats to Memory

IFFK 2007 bids adieu as usual with a hint of anti-climax. None of the much awaited movies won the Suvarnachakoram prize. The prize was shared by XXY, an Argentinean film directed by Lucia Puenzo, and 10 + 4, an Iranian film directed by Mania Akbari. The audience award went as expected to the Chinese film Getting Home, directed by Zhang Yang. Ore Kadal, directed by Syamaprasad , was judged as the best Malayalam film by two sets of juries. The following are the rest of the awards:

NETPAC award for the best Malayalam film: Ore Kadal
Fipresci award for the best Malayalam film: Ore Kadal
NETPAC award for the best Asian film in competition: Getting Home
Fipresci award for the best film in competition: Sleepwalking Land
12th IFFK awards a special jury prize to the director: Mr. Abdullah Oguz of the Turkish film Bliss
Rajatha Chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 3 lakhs for the best debut film of a director: Lucia Puenzo from Argentina for her film XXY
Rajatha chakoram and cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs for the best director:: Mr.Mania Akbari from Iran for her film 10+4.


The jury, headed by the famous Iranian director Jafar Panahi, seems to have reached a conclusion in algebraic terms after so much thinking: XXY = 10+4. There is nothing that separates these films in terms of craft or quality, according to the jury. But the audience have no such problem as 33% of those cared to vote did in favor of Getting Home.

Vipin Vijay, the much-ridiculed director of signature film, was facilitated in the closing ceremony. I am winding up the IFFK blogging with this curious incident about the signature film: The signature film had been greeted with deafening boos consistently throughout the festival from the second day itself. In the last day, one of my friends saw a foreigner booing at the signature film. He was pleasantly surprised at the thought that the signature film managed to bring out the uncivilized face of even a foreign dignitary. After the show, he asked the foreigner the reason for his howls. The foreigner was surprised and asked: “Isn’t this the custom here to greet a movie?”
The End.

IFFK – Day 7

Portrait of an Artist

I saw the Korean film Chihawaseon in New Theatre. The film is directed Im Kwon Taek. Seven of his over hundred films have been included in this retrospective. I had heard about his film Surrogate Mother, which was shown in India previously in some other name. I could not watch Surrogate Mother. But this film, Chihawaseon, gives glimpses of Im Kwon Taek’s brilliant oeuvre. This is a gripping portrayal of the eccentric life of an unconventional painter. He was born in a slum. But his immense potential with brush was spotted during his childhood and he received sufficient training to grow into a masterful painter. In the film, we can see his turbulent life, where he could not exorcise his inner ghosts. He was consumed by the same fire within him that lighted up his paintings. The film is slow in most parts, but is studded with beautiful visuals, which are cleverly used to symbolize the state of mind of the hero.

All in all, today was a good day with three satisfying films, though not as spectacular as Sunday when I watched three fantastic movies (Closely Watched Train, Talk to Her and Getting Home). I think I may not watch any more film in the festival as tomorrow will be a busy day in my office. That means I have to wait for some more years for some other festival to watch the movies like Time directed by Kim Ki Duc and the Romanian film which won high critical acclaim, Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days.

The race for the best film award is heading to an exciting climax, with nobody being sure of which film will move the heart of the jury members more. Initially Teeth of Love, a Chinese film directed by Zhuang Yuxin, and Getting Home, another Chinese film directed by Zhang Yang, were the favorites. Now Sleepwalking Land, a film from Portugal/Mozambique, directed by Teressa Puenzo, and Bliss, a Turkish film, directed Abdullah Oguz, have emerged as dark horses. But one delegate quipped that he won’t be surprised if one of the Malayalam entries to the competition section, Naalu Pennungal (Four Women) and Paradesi, will win in the end, given the standing and the canvassing skill of the directors. I sincerely hope my friend will be proved wrong, as I have great respect for Adoor.

IFFK – Day 7- Evening

A Humour Fest from Menzel

I took leave from office today to watch films. The film I Served the King of England, directed by Jiri Menzel, justified my decision. This is a hilarious comedy, which explores how the tyrannical regimes – be it fascist or communist – affect the lives of a ordinary people. The film opens with an old man coming out of jail. Soon he sets the tone for laughter with this witty remark: "I always had the fortune to run into a misfortune". The film is studded with flashbacks – memories of the protagonist. He was a bar attender. The film revolves around changes in his life and in society at various historical events in Czechoslovakia, like German invasion and Communist revolution. Also the film detailedly depicts the highly imaginative sex life of the hero. I think the film is a fine mix of sexual comedy and historical satire.

Now I am going New Theatre to watch Chihawaseon, a Korean film of Im Kwon Taek retrospective. I haven’t seen any of his films and I guess today is my last chance to see one. So far this year’s festival has been conducted exceptionally well. The usual drunken arguments in Open Forums and sometimes in the theatres have been almost non-existent. The only controversy is regarding signature film of the festival. Some noted filmmakers and some in the media have demanded the withdrawal of the signature film, which is created by Vipin Vijay, an upcoming film maker whose films include Hawa Mahal and Video Game. The festival authorities are defending the signature films by criticising the audience who boo the signature film and the media which portrays the signature film in bad light.

My view, if you are interested, is that both sides are wrong. Festival authorities selected this signature film obviously after seeing some merit in this film. So no question of withdrawing the film. Also, it would be great insult to a promising director. Also the audience have the right to express their displeasure and the media have the right to criticise. So let the signature film be continued and so be the boos.

IFFK – Day 7 – Afternoon

A Balkan Comedy

I saw an interestingly titled Croatian film What is a Man Without a Moustache, directed by Hrvoje Hribar, in New Theatre. The title perfectly captures the mood of the film. The film depicts the happenings in a Croatian village. The main thread of the movie is the fruitless love affair between a young widow and a good-looking priest, who is trying hard to resist his temptation to alcohol. Just as in the case of alcohol, he could not resist the feelings towards this beautiful woman. All these incidents are shown in a shade of satire. There are plenty of scenes that evoke rapturous laughter from the audience, like the affair between the general of the army and the defense minister and the actions of the alcoholic priest. If I have to give a verdict on the movie, it will be something like this: this is not a must-watch, great film, but a decent comedy.

The initial enthusiasm of most of the delegates has died down, it appears. There was not much crowd for this movie. Also, some people indulged in non-stop talking in theatre while watching the movie. My guess is that they must be some failed intellectuals or upcoming politicians. I suffered the most, as, to paraphrase a famous film dialogue, of all seats in all theatres of all this festival, they chose to sit next to mine. Next I am going to watch I Served the King of England by Jiri Menzel in Remya theatre. More satire is in cards, it seems.

IFFK – Day 6

I saw the Chinese film Curse of the Golden Flower directed hang Yimou today. It had received good media reviews after its first screening. But I did not like the film. I am not to say that the film is bad. The film has most of the good ingredients: like good sets, good cinematography, well-choreographed battle scenes and excellent acting. But somewhere along the line, all those provide the film an aura of artificiality. But the film received thunderous applause from the not-so-houseful crowd.

The film is about the life and times of a king and a queen in an old Chinese dynasty. We got to see palace intrigues, conspiracies and a bit of illicit relationships. I don’t know this is a different version of an actual historical incident. But I think the film is not for those like me who prefer realistic movies. Some of the battle scenes are almost like the stunt scenes in a James Bond movie.

The signature film of the festival is making a lot of news off the screen. Yesterday, noted Malayalam director T.V. Chandran demanded withdrawal of the signature film. Today, Madhu Iravankara, an award-winning film critic, and V.K. Joseph, a higher official in the festival organizing committee, have written articles in the festival bulletin in defense of the signature film, which has been consistently booed at all the venues. They criticized the attitude of the audience who boo the signature film.

Seen Films are Great, but Those Unseen …

Day 5 went without any new exciting film “finds”. By now all the competition section films have been screened. If crowd reaction can be a yard stick, Bliss, Teeth of Love, Getting Home and XXY vie for the tag of favorite to win the prize.

I think I have missed some really good movies. Heading the list of those sweeter unseen is 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days, a Romanian film directed by Cristian Mungiu. Then I missed Volver of Pedro Almodovar (Almodovar films are running into problem again. This time lack of subtitles affected the screening of the movies Flowers of My Secret and Law of Desire). Buddha Collapsed in Shame, the inaugural film directed by Hana Makhmalbaf, is another film I must have seen. My Brother is an Only Child, an Italian film directed by Dannielle Luchetti, and California Dreaming, a Romanian film directed by Christian Nemescu, are highly rated by the delegates who saw those films. I haven’t seen any of Im Kwon Taek retrospective and Balkan films. So far, I am satisfied with the ‘hits’, so not much worry about the “misses”.

A Day Damned: IFFK 2007 – Day 4

Today I could not attend IFFK because of my official compulsions. I had planned to watch a movie in the evening. But after the day’s work, I was damn tired to undertake a 40 km journey and watch a movie and come back. If TV channels are to be believed, the most impressive films screened today are two films of Competition section: Bliss (a Turkish film directed by Abdullah Oguz) and Teeth of Love (a Chinese film by nZhuang Yuxin). Even yesterday, there were whispers among the supposedly learnt delegates that Teeth of Love would be this year’s winner. But my vote is for the Chinese film Getting Home.

In today’s Kerala Kaumudi, another Chinese film, Curse of the Golden Flower, received an admirer’s review. The reporter mentions that he was forced to watch this movie in Remya theatre because he could not get seats for Getting Home, which was being shown in the adjoining Dhanya theatre. But the reporter of The Hindu was luckier and he did get a seat in Dhanya theatre. He could not hide his happiness as he lavished praises on the film in his report. In blogosphere too IFFK is making more waves. A blog that gives good reviews of IFFK films is tvmtalkies. A brief general overview of the film festival can be found in other blogs too such as heartbeats and aruninteblog.

IFFK 2007 – Day 3 – Evening

An Ode to Human Spirit

Today was an excellent day of festival harvest. I have already written about the first two films: Closely Watched Train and Talk to Her, the appetizer and the main course of the day, respectively. The dessert did not fall behind too. Getting Home is a delightful celluloid ode that celebrates the power of human spirit. There is not a dull moment in the film. This film is part of the competition section. But usually films that make people laugh do not win IFFK prize. It always goes to some serious films. Well, if Giri Menzel was here as the jury head, as arranged previously (but he could not come because of some minor accident), he would have been extremely happy with this film.

Getting Home is a Chinese film directed by Zhang Yang. It is the story of a man taking an arduous, but often comic, journey to a village in the farthest part of China to keep a promise he had made to his friend. He is taking his friend’s dead body to the dead man’s village. The remarkable aspect is that he is still treating the body as his friend, not a “dead body”. He makes the body sit with him in a bus, in public places, and often addresses him. His journey is so hilarious that laughter never ceased in the theatre. He encounters several charming people: a dead man coming back after his organized funeral, a truck driver who drove 300000 kilometers for his lover only to see her snubbing him later, a destitute woman whose son is studying in a prestigious university, and so on. This is really a film that may probably help you get over your worries. The spirit of the characters influences the viewers.

Media coverage of IFFK (including that in blogs like this and AEIOh!You) reminds me of the old saying about blind men describing the elephant. There is no similarity among the reports. For example, today’s Keralakaumudi (which provides the best coverage among Malayalam dailies) lists five “amazing” films, most of which are not reported in other papers (read the report here). Talking about Newspaper articles there is an interesting article about delegates in The Hindu on 8/12/2207: Birds of a Festival, imaginatively written by Geetika Sudeep.

IFFK – Day 3 – Afternoon

Incredible Almodovar

Spectators in New Theatre can consider themselves wise for choosing Talk to Her to watch over Buddha Collapsed in Shame. I haven’t seen Buddha Collapsed in Shame. But I don’t see eighteen-year old Hana Makhmalbaf, the director of Buddha Collapsed in Shame, making anything half as good as this film by Pedro Almodovar. It will take years, if ever, she would make such a film. If Almodovar impressed the audience yesterday with All About My Mother, today he stunned or mesmerized ( or better, created an un-describable feeling in) the audience with Talk to Her. It is a film that cannot be fit into a single label, a sure sign of a great movie. It can be a heart-drenching love story, a sensitive portrayal of a strange incident or an artistic depiction of a few modern-day lives. A skeleton summary of the film can be given like this: A lonely man, who is a nurse by profession, fell in love with a beautiful dancer. Soon she met with an accident and was confined to coma. Our man nurses her for four years, still keeping his tender love intact. One day she became pregnant. He was charged with raping her and arrested. After giving birth to a dead baby, she miraculously came out of coma. I don’t want to spoil climax of the movie, with this clumsy synopsis.

In an unforgettable allegoric sequence, the hero sees a movie titled Shrinking Love. In that film, the protagonist drink the new medicine invented by his lover which for reducing the body weight. After drinking the medicine, the hero goes on shrinking. In a hilarious ending, the heroine carries the hero in a small chest case. Then the hero actually goes inside the vagina of the heroine and stays there forever!

Many dignitaries were present to watch the movie, including Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The delegates have found a novel use for the festival bags. In a disturbing trend, some delegates are booking the seats for their friends in advance by placing the festival bag on the chair. The blasphemy (nothing less) is that the reserved seats will remain vacant because the persons who were supposed to come will not turn up. This happens when people are sitting on floor. Anyway, hope better sense will prevail soon.

Now I am going to have lunch and then race to Dhanya theatre to watch Getting Home. I heard it is the story of a man carrying his friend’s dead body to the dead man’s house in the other end of China. The storyline appears interesting.

IFFK – Day 3 – Morning

I watched Closely Watched Train of Jiri Menzel today morning. (The actual title of the film is Strictly Watched Train; also the actual title of yesterday’s Menzel film is Snow Drop Festivities, not Snow Drop Festival.) It was a much-expected film for me – and for many others as was obvious from the large number of people thronged Sree theatre, the smallest among the theatres for this festival. But I must confess that the film did not live up to my expectations; perhaps because it is an old film (made in 1966) and my expectations were contemporary. I was expecting a satirical roller-coaster like the films of Louis Bunuel and Emir Kusturica. But the film is somewhat laid-back for a large part and suddenly burst into life towards the latter part. Nevertheless, it is satirical movie, dealing with the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. The film portrays the incidents in a railway station, where the protagonist comes to join as am official. He is suffering from a peculiar problem: he has not made love yet.

The mood is quite relaxed in IFFK today. The signature film was, deservedly, booed today. It is actually the butt of many jokes. My take is that it is a demonstration of symptoms of Chikungunya, a disease that affected many people recently in Kerala.

Now I am going to watch Talk to Her by Pedro Almodovar in New Theatre. Hopefully, I will get seat, as Buddha Collapsed in Shame (in Ajantha theatre) by Hana Makhmakbaf appears to be the favorite of most of the people.

IFFK 2007 – Day 2 – Evening

Overall, it was a satisfying day: Menzel for breakfast, Almodovar for lunch and the film After the Wedding for a crispy evening bite, with the lunch being heavy as is usually the case in Kerala. Snow Drop Festival of Giri Menzel is a refreshing comedy set in a funny village and All About My Mother is a stunningly candid portrayal of the marginalized in Spanish society. Though After the Wedding is slightly boring towards the end, it is also a brisk-paced film that deals with the life of a Swede, who is trying to set up an orphanage in India, and a wealthy man whom he seeks for funds to realize his venture. Soon it appears that the wife of the wealthy man is his former girl friend.

Tomorrow I am going to watch again Menzel-Almodovar magic. Closely watched Trains and talk to her in the morning. I have decided to watch Mirage (Balkan package) in the evening.

IFFK 2007 - Day 2 - Afternoon

Almodovar Unleashed

For once, all the hype was justified. There has been a great buzz about Pedro Almodovar retrospective in this year’s festival. All About My Mother is considered in many circles as the film through which Almodovar came of age. And today we knew why. This is easily one of the best films in the festival so far. It is a film whose beauty cannot be conveyed by the plot summary or technical explanations. Each frame is meticulously constructed and the whole frames forming the parts of a stunning film sculpture. So in that sense Almodovar has been unleashed in IFFK now.

I am disappointed with the signature film of the festival. Despite the claims in IFFK website regarding the signature film being a blend of creativity and technology, I found it rather a blend of pseudo-creativity and broken visuals. It appears like a music album gone wrong. Even the customary chakoram, designed by the late Aravindan, is missing. Now I am going to watch After the Wedding in Ajantha theatre.

IFFK 2007 - Day 2 Morning

A Feast of Satire

I saw Spring Drop Festival by Giri Menzel today morning from Kalabhavan Theatre. The film started quite slowly, but in a unique way, with camera panning across a snow-clad village. The film went on eventless for the first 15 minutes or so. Just when I thought Menzel is not up to my expectation a curious incident of killing a pig changed the complexion of the film. From there on it was a feast of class satire. A nice film to begin with. Now I am going to watch All About My Mother of Pedro Almodovar. Considering the kind of publicity the director got, I think it is better to get into the theatre at least half an hour before. So I have to rush.

IFFK 2007 - Day 2 Morning

Feast of Satire

I have seen Spring Drop Festival by Giri Menzel today morning form Kalabhavan Theatre. The film started quite slowly, but in a unique way, with camera panning across a snow-clad village. The film went on eventless for the first 15 minutes or so. Just when I thought Menzel is not up to my expectation a curious incident of killing a pig changed the complexion of the film. From there on it was a feast of class satire. A nice film to begin with. Now I am going to watch All About My Mother of Pedro Almodovar. Considering the kind of publicity the director got, I think it is better to get into the theatre at least half an hour before. So I have to rush.

IFFK 2007 – Day 1

The festival has been formally inaugurated by Kamalhassan in a glittering ceremony in Nishaganthi Opean Air Auditorium. Many famous personalities including Mohanlal and Chilean director Miguil Littin were present on the occasion. After the ceremony Buddha Collapsed in Shame by Hana Makhmalbaf was shown. The film drew great applause from the audience. Earlier, the films of the first day were rather unspectacular. But fans of Pedro Almodóvar got an eyeful through the film Dark Habits. Another film that many people found interesting is the Greek film Brides directed by Pantelis Voulgaris.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I am planning to watch Snowdrop Festival (Kalabhavan 9 AM) of Jirí Menzel and All About My mother (Kalabhavan 11. 30 AM) of Pedro Almodóvar, and After the Wedding (Ajantha 3 PM), which has attracted good reviews in recently concluded IFFI. If I have enough time and energy for one more movie, I will watch either Night train (Kripa 6. 30 PM) (whose one-liner sounds attractive: “A prison executioner visits a matchmaking agency, mistaking the vengeful husband of an executed convict as a potential match.”) or Playing Away (6.30 Kalabhavan), which is a black comedy having the game of cricket as the backdrop.

Lights, Camera, Action, IFFK ….

The wait has been over and curtains will be raised for IFFK 2007 today. Buddha Collapsed in Shame (by Hana Makhmalbaf) is the opening film of the festival. It is going to be screened in Nishaganthi Auditorium at 7 pm after the inaugural ceremony. (Mind you, the Buddha in the movie does refer to the actual Buddha and not the Buddha of Bengal and now Nandigram fame, though the latter has every reason to collapse in shame.) That is the formal part of it. But the actual screening of the films starts from 9’o clock in the morning. So let us dive into the aesthetic pool of, hopefully, remarkable celluloid art.


The following are today’s films, their timings and synopsis (Source; IMDB, Wikipedia, Yahoomovies). Apart from these, three documentaries, Nomads TX (Sree Theatre, 3 PM), A Song for Arrgyris (Kalabhavan, 9 AM), and Potosi, The Journey (Kalabhavan, 6.30 PM), are also going to be screened. Complete schedule can be downloaded from http://www.iffk.keralafilm.com/schedu.htm.


Samiya (Kairali, 11.30 AM)

it is a moving drama about Algerian girls in France, growing up
modern on the outside and miserable on the inside in a strict Muslim
household where they're little more than servants.
Comment: Samia tells an old story about a teenager who rebels against
her family values asserting her demands to be her own person. In the
case of "Samia", the teen is an Algerian girl living with a traditional
Muslim family in France. During this short film we get to see Samia
sulking, fighting with her brother, sulking, hanging out with friends,
sulking, going to the seashore, sulking, refusing to have her hymen
examined and, yeah, more sulking. The film shows some traditional and
presumably Algerian costuming, dancing, music, meals, etc.

Sopyonje (Kalabhavan, 3 PM)

One day in the early 1960’s, Dongho, a man in his thirties (Kim
Kyu-Chul) arrives at a village inn. He is absorbed in deep thought
while listening to a Pansori song by a woman of the inn. In his
childhood, Yubong, a vagabond singer of Pansori (Kim Myung-Gon), comes
to his village. Yubong falls in love with Dongho’s widowed mother. He
leaves the village with Dongho, the widow, and his adopted daughter
Songhwa (Oh Jung-Hae). However, the widow dies while delivering
Yubong’s baby. Yubong teaches Songhwa Pansori music, and teaches
Dongho the drum. Songhwa and Dongho are raised as a pair of Pansori
singer and drummer. They wander about doing Pansori for a living, but
their lives are getting harder during and after the Korean civil war.
With the influence of western culture, Pansori gradually becomes less
appreciated and favored, even despised by people. Dissatisfied with
his miserable life, Dongho leaves home after having a dispute with
Yubong. Broken hearted, Songhwa refuses to do Pansori. Yubong makes
her go blind in an attempt to complete her Pansori. Blind Songhwa
manages to lead a pitiable life after Yubong’s death. Time passes and
Dongho comes back with guilty feelings to look for Songhwa and Yubong.
He finally encounters Songhwa. Songhwa sings her Pansori at his
request with the accompaniment of his drum. After spending one night
together, they separate again. Songhwa leaves to continue her vagabond
life.

Dark Habits (New Theare, 3 PM)

Unconventional Spanish comedy set in wild-and-crazy convent.
Over-the-top sex-and-drugs subject matter, uneven pace will deter many
viewers, but fans of director Almodóvar's bitchy yet good-natured
surrealism will still enjoy. This is Almodóvar’s first film to have a
proper producer and be made for a proper film company, rather than be
made on the hoof like his previous projects. Almodóvar has since
distanced himself from the film as he felt that he had to bow to
commercial considerations.

The Father (Kairali, 3 PM)

A WWII officer returns to discover family and peacetime aren't much to
his liking in the ultra-traditional Russian meller "The Father." Pic is
based on an Andrei Platonov short story whose indictment of the
conflict's emotional toll was too strong for the postwar Russian
government, but pic's existence renders the point universal. Story's
connection to Ernest Hemingway -- he translated the long-banned seven
pages and professed influence from them -- could attract literate auds,
though stolid drama seems best for fests, regional play and niche
ancillary.En route home, Captain Alexei Ivanov (Alexei Guskov, also
co-producer) meets pregnant young soldier Masha (Svetlana Ivanova) and
pretends to be her husband so her family will reaccept her. Later, he
grows bored with his wife, Lyuba (Polina Kutepova), and two kids, and
suspicious of Lubya's faithfulness during his absence. Acting honors go
to young nonpro Vassili Prokopiev, whose stern orders to mother and
sister, honed during dad's absence, steal pic outright. Tech package is
solid, though the almost operatic decay of the production design seems
too expansive for focused drama. Pic's May 9 domestic release coincided
with Russia's commemoration of WWII's cessation, called Victory Day.

Paris, je t'aime (Sree, 11.30 AM)

Paris, je t'aime is a 2006 film starring an ensemble cast of American,
British and French movie actors. The title means "Paris, I love you".
The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films.

Meisie (Kalabhavan, 11.30 AM)
Meisie is a gentle and humane film which is set on the peripheries of
the Kalahari Desert. The film focuses on a young girl, Meisie (Abrina
Bosman) who has an astonishing talent for mathematics, but is prevented
by her father from going to the local school. Instead, she is forced to
tend goats and practices her maths with stones on the desert sand. The
arrival of an inspirational new teacher in the town results in a change
that impacts on Meisie’s life forever.

Foreigner (Kripa, 3 PM)

A teenage girl (Agustina Munoz) wanders around the desert with her
little brother, knowing her powerful father (Carlos Portaluppi) is
determined to kill her, in the belief this sacrifice will end a
terrible drought. Offering an occasional POV on the spare action is an
out-of-place foreigner (played in Polish by Maciej Robakiewicz), who
looks as puzzled as most viewers will at what's going on. Film's strong
point is its setting in a rocky, burnt-out desert whose elemental
forces, thrown onscreen in knockout Cinemascope by lenser Gerardo
Silvatici, create an atmosphere of timeless tragedy. Pacing is leaden.

Blind (Ajantha, 3 PM)
It is a story about a blind boy (may be around 20 years of age) –
played by Joren Seldeslachts - who is wild and lives with his mother in
a palatial county type house; and his care taker lady (may be around 30
years of age) – brilliantly enacted by Halina Reijn (remember
Zwartboek?) - who is suffering from albino – i.e. body does not produce
enough pigment and the a person has pale or colorless skin, eyes and
hair. Joren starts falling in love with Halina without noticing about
her albino disease because he is blind. Halina tries hard to evade
Joren's closeness – but is not able to resist her own fears, and falls
in love with Joren. Katelijne Verbeke plays the boy's mother who
notices this attraction and is against their relationship. The good
news comes when the boy is about to get his sight back and that is the
time Halina goes away – so that Joren would always remember her as a
beautiful girl. But Joren is persistent and after regaining his sight
desperately searches for Halina. Do they meet? And what happens after
that – I will not tell you and spoil your show.The backdrop is – I think Belgium or Bulgaria! The snow clad landscape
is captured with nature's ecstasy. The music is fantastic. Some scenes
are so greatly executed that without a word – just by images the
director communicates so many things, and that is the art of cinema.
Good movies bring you back to the soul – the core of our human values
and purity of love.

Monkeys in Winter (Dhanya, 3 PM)

Plots of the three strands are only glancingly related, with just
settings and minor details shared. For instance, in both of the last
two stories, characters watch a nature documentary on TV about monkeys
protecting their young during a snowstorm. These simian images not only
give pic its title but also provide ironic counterpoint to characters
here who behave in so-called "unnatural" ways.
Opening segment, pic's most straightforward, is set in 1961 and tracks
Dona (Bulgarian thrush Bonka Ilieva-Boni), a lusty woman of Gypsy
extraction, living in the suburbs outside the capital of Sofia and
raising three kids by herself. Deserted by her b.f., and with bailiffs
threatening to seize the family's meager possessions, Dona accepts an
offer from a local party official to match her with an elderly spouse.
But when her vile new husband makes a move on her young daughter, Dona
reacts with primal fury.
The story set in 1981 follows law student Lucretia (newcomer Diana
Dobreva, whose long black hair and sorrowful eyes evoke a living
Modigliani figure). In order to avoid being sent back to the sticks
upon graduation, she tries to get herself knocked up by another
student. When she really does get pregnant, however, her lack of faith
in her b.f.'s love leads her to commit the aforementioned "unnatural"
act out of fear he'll leave her.
Final strand centers round Tana (local star Angelina Slavova), the wife
of wealthy businessman Lazar, whose property development project just
happens to involve destroying Dona's now-derelict house. Happily in
love, Tana and Lazar have everything except a child. When Lazar is told
he's infertile, everything turns sour.

Brides (Remya, 3 PM)

Set in 1922, is the story of a mail order bride, one of 700, aboard the
SS KING ALEXANDER, who falls in love with an American photographer. She
is bound for her new husband, in New York; he is on his way home to a
failed marriage.
Comment: A touching yet subtle story of love, longing and desire. The
tragedy of the situation of these mail-order brides, lost without a
connection to their homeland, without money, family or hope for the
future. This was a beautifully shot and acted film. The director
Pantelis Voulgaris should be congratulated. Damian Lewis has never been
stronger, a gorgeous leading man, who gives his character Norman, such
a natural on screen presence, that there appears to be nothing
artificial about him. Niki is a fine leading female character, strong,
resolute, yet naturally human and weak. The love story, not just
amongst the principles simmered and grew, the sexual tension not forced
or faked. Wonderful.

Budha Collapsed in Shame (Nisaganthi, 7 PM)
The beauty and grief of present-day Afghanistan receives epic, poetic
treatment from Hana Makhmalbaf, the youngest member of master director
Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s remarkable family. Set in Bamian, the actual town
where the Taliban’s destruction of cultural treasures sickened the
world, Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame is an exotic and frightening
journey into the minds of the children who live in that desolate area –
and children affected by violence everywhere.
Like many Iranian filmmakers, Makhmalbaf chooses a little girl as her
narrative engine. When we meet this extraordinary young creature,
Baktay (Nikbakht Noruz), all she wants to do is go to the school for
girls that has opened up across the river. But she must overcome
Herculean obstacles to attend, starting with her family’s extreme
poverty and her mother’s indifference. In one incredible sequence, she
has to negotiate the purchase of the requisite pen and paper through a
complex transaction involving stolen eggs. She must also traverse a no
man’s land populated by a band of wild boys who delight in war games.
She is “captured” by them going both ways – once as an American spy,
then as a Taliban spy – and these scenes encapsulate Makhmalbaf’s
thesis about how violent “liberation” refracts in a child’s mind.
The film feels extremely authentic, largely due to the stripped-down
neo-realist style of the Makhmalbaf family’s projects and the fact that
they cast local non-professional actors for all the roles. But this is
not a documentary. The film sneakily reveals all sorts of narrative
surprises and political critiques despite its simple exterior. And, as
custom dictates in this kind of film, the little girl is almost too
cute for words, evoking gushes of sympathy toward her numerous trials.
The film’s title comes from Hana’s father. According to her, Mohsen
meant that “even a statue can be ashamed of witnessing all this
violence and harshness happening to these innocent people and,
therefore, collapse.” Shots of the looming emptiness in the Bamian
cliff faces that once housed these serene Buddhas are indeed among the
film’s most devastating moments.