Water. And Doctor Who.
Saw Water, a movie about treatment of widows, and thought it was a powerful, understated, beautiful movie. I thought the entire cast was good, but the person who stood out the most was Serala, the girl who played Chuiya. She was amazing. I also liked the fact that the movie didn't go for the simplistic 'men are evil' paradigm. There are men who take advantage of the situation (all those Brahmin who Kalyani services), there are good men (Narayan and the Priest, who is the one who tells Shakuntala about the new laws allowing widow remarriage), and the vast majority, like Narayan's friend, are indifferent. And of course, it also showcases that in the society women become complicit in their own subjugation: Madhu who runs the ashram is horrible, and witness the widows' indignant reaction to Chuiya's innocent question of 'where is the house of men widows?' And the cinematography was beautiful.
The scenes that especially stood out were:
1. The scene in the rain, with Kalyani and Chuiya playing that frantic hand game (they are both still such children, even Kalyani) intercut with Narayan wandering through streets without an umbrella. It was just a scene full of such joy, in a rather heart-breaking movie.
2. The last frames being just that spent, empty look on Seema Biswas' face (she was beyond amazing). Because Chuiya might have been saved, but there is no way out for her.
3. The scene where Chuiya "comes to play." I admit I was spoiled for large parts of the movie but not for this, and I couldn't bear watch, I had to look through my fingers. Does anyone else think that not only was Narayan's father one of Kalyani's clients, he was specifically one of her clients when she was a child? Just the vibe I got.
4. The look on the elderly widow's face when she finally tastes that laddoo. And the flashback to her wedding as a child.
5. The scene where Narayan and Kalyani meet by that tree. It was beautiful, and fairy tale and romantic.
Also saw Doctor Who's ep, "Father's Day" (I am a billion eps behind everyone else) and it was excellent except I wanted to smack Rose for being a moron for a solid first half of the show. Ugh. Also, is it me, or is this show more Rose-centric than Doctor-centric?
The scenes that especially stood out were:
1. The scene in the rain, with Kalyani and Chuiya playing that frantic hand game (they are both still such children, even Kalyani) intercut with Narayan wandering through streets without an umbrella. It was just a scene full of such joy, in a rather heart-breaking movie.
2. The last frames being just that spent, empty look on Seema Biswas' face (she was beyond amazing). Because Chuiya might have been saved, but there is no way out for her.
3. The scene where Chuiya "comes to play." I admit I was spoiled for large parts of the movie but not for this, and I couldn't bear watch, I had to look through my fingers. Does anyone else think that not only was Narayan's father one of Kalyani's clients, he was specifically one of her clients when she was a child? Just the vibe I got.
4. The look on the elderly widow's face when she finally tastes that laddoo. And the flashback to her wedding as a child.
5. The scene where Narayan and Kalyani meet by that tree. It was beautiful, and fairy tale and romantic.
Also saw Doctor Who's ep, "Father's Day" (I am a billion eps behind everyone else) and it was excellent except I wanted to smack Rose for being a moron for a solid first half of the show. Ugh. Also, is it me, or is this show more Rose-centric than Doctor-centric?