|
| Movie Review: Water Alternate Title: Widow's Walk
Story: Suffer the little children,
widows, orphans or anyone else in 1938 India where another mouth to
feed was seen as a burden. It was the point in time when Colonial England
was about to lose its hold on India and Gandhi was embarking on his
civil disobedience revolution. The cruel traditions and caste rituals
of India was about to be torn asunder. Or was it? This wonderful, passionate, emotional film is
the third in director Deepa Mehta's trilogy, Fire
(1998) and Earth (1999) being the first two.
The behind the scenes production of this film is as dramatic as what
occurs in the final product. When, in 2000, director Mehta began pre-production
in Benares (Varanese) the crew was threatened and the sets burned by
fundamental Hindus who believed she was desecrating the sacred texts
as they related to the treatment of women. Mehta continued her life's
passion, restarted production in Sri Lanka and finished this masterpiece
five years later. The story is the heartbreaking tale of how Colonial India treated its
widows - some as young as seven years old. Hindi texts prescribe that
when a husband dies the widow has three choices: she can throw herself
on the funeral pyre, marry his brother, or live in poverty in a group
home with other widows. One of this films' widows is eight years old
and never met her husband. The lives of these women is handled sensitively
using an equal mix of politics, history, religion and many philosophical
questions. This film will leave you thinking and emoting long after you leave
the theater. The final text tells us that in today's
India there are 34 million widows living in similar conditions to what
we have just seen. Acting: The five year delay in filming caused director
Mehta to recast her film. I cannot imagine better choices. The little
girl, played by Sarala, is Sri Lankan and acted her
part phonetically, not speaking the director's language. She was brilliant.
Shout outs to all the others, especially Seema Biswas
(Bandit Queen), Lisa Roy and John Abraham.
Predilection: I love all things Indian.
Critters: A black puppy and a parrot.
Food: A sweet, called ladoo and lots of rice.
Soundtrack: A delightful Indian soundtrack.
Theater Audience: A handful of folk.
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: The caste system makes me crazy.
Drift Factor: Not a drift moment for me.
Predictability Level: I did not know what was going
to happen.
Tissue Usage: My movie buddy used three tissues and
I used only one.
Oscar Worthy: Yes.
Big Screen or Rental: If this film pays in your neighborhood
I highly recommend the big screen. If renting, try the other two parts
of her trilogy.
Length: Slightly shy of two hours.
LOBO HOWLS: 8.5
|