ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2011, DAY 4: FILM OF THE YEAR

An Indo-Italian production, Gangor by Italo Spinnely, opened my day. Based on a short story by Mahashweta Devi, it traced the journey of a photographer who, in a bid to expose the atrocities against tribals, publishes a stark photo of a tribal woman feeding her child. He thinks its art. The locals call the woman a slut and want a piece of her. The photographer attempts to reconnect with the woman, leading to one fateful meeting. The first half held my interest but the second half just fell apart. Seems unlikely this one will wow the jury.

After lunch, Ahmad Abdalla’s Heliopolis from Egypt. I am getting a bit tired of hyperlinked films. As long as there is a central theme, a little bit of hyperlinking is fine. But when it’s the only USP, it’s boring. The gentleman next to me was snoring. Honest.

Was Seven Samurai based on a true story? Sarath Weerasekera’s Gaamini would have you believe so. The LTTE massacre 50 odd denizens of a small Sri Lankan village. In retaliation they set up their own defense with the help of the army. The story maybe true but the treatment was total Kurosawa. Only not as brilliant. The best scenes were the training scenes, Otherwise it was forgettable. The jury will be overlooking this one too.

Since day one, there has been a buzz about this movie. Not only has it won top honours at various festivals, Roger Ebert has listed it as his Best Film of the Year. Asghar Farhadi’s A Seperation is all that and more. I can’t find words to describe it. It’s a rare film that tests the audience’s intelligence, inviting him or her to take sides. I don’t think I blinked even once. If you still haven’t seen it, watch it at the first available instance.



Yasujiro Ozu once again to call curtains for the day. A calibrated Tokyo Story about an ageing couple and their chequered relationship with their children, Fortunately, unlike Day 2, the reel co-operated and we were able to enjoy the film in its entirety.