By Ruchika Chanana
I walked into Siri Fort Auditorium 1 at 9.30 am last Saturday, hoping the film I had come to see would be worth the sacrifice of giving up Friday late night revelries. Asura, directed by Keiichi Satou, and based on the banned manga by George Akiyama, was the opening film at the Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Indian, Asian and Arab films. And it did not disappoint. It was an animated feature, but that’s about where its suitability for children ended. A relentless exploration of the true nature of humankind, the film raises questions about nature/nurture, man/beast, survival/humanity in a harsh way. Yet you flow along with the story– the desperate poverty of famine stricken medieval Japan, the feudalism, the blood and gore – because it is so beautifully made. The magic of brilliant animation, with every frame a watercolour, makes a heart-rending tale into a brilliant film. Can a child-beast who learned to eat human flesh from its mother ever become human? A serene Buddhist monk seems to think so, and so does Wasaka, a lovely village girl, both of whom attempt to take little Asura under their care, and help him become more human, one with spiritual prodding and the other with kindness. At the end of the film you are left wondering who the real beast is, and the answer, unsurprisingly, is man himself. Loved the film, despite the very frustrating technical snag right at the end, which stopped the film abruptly just before the last scene.
The technical problems were a leitmotif of the festival. Sadly, the Siri Fort complex, although large and well laid out, is after all a government-run space. On the whole, the festival was well planned and curated. Although one could question why the Wakamatsu and Adachi films were screened in the tiny auditorium {audi 4} while Vicky Donor had the 1800 seater {audi 1} at its disposal! I ended up seeing a fair number of films {would’ve liked to see more!} and liked a few. Here are the ones, besides Asura I thought were pretty good {not going into the ones I didn’t like}. So, in no particular order:
The Repentant, Directed by Merzak Allouache | An Algerian film, with 2 stories running parallel; one of a young man, part of a jihadi terrorist group who decides to surrender and attempt to resume a normal life, and the other of a couple whose marriage is torn apart by a personal tragedy. These parallel lines intersect {human emotions regularly defy this law of physics} in a dramatic and destructive way. It’s a story about choices being final- you cannot retrace your steps, however good your intentions may be. Also it gives a revealing glimpse into the lives of the people in the high plateau-lands of this strife-ridden, repressive, yet beautifully desolate country.
Milocrorze- A Love Story, Directed by Yoshimasa Ishibashi | A Japanese tribute to Tarantino with an underlying humorous tonality. 3 stories featuring the same actor; neon colours, samurai swords, a love guru and some really funny dialogues. All tied in with a common theme- love of the most persistent kind. It’s a philosophical film, but shot like the Tele-Tubbies on acid. Loved it.
Hansa, Directed by Manav Kaul | This film won some major awards at the fest. Easily likeable, gently and thoughtfully shot, and very cleverly written, this deceptively simple story of the lives of 2 children growing up in a village in the foothills of the Himalayas is layered and absorbing. Brilliant acting from the child protagonists, everyday humour and a cinema verite style are underlined with an almost magical feel… like something special is just on the verge of happening. The father’s mysterious disappearance lends itself to this feel. But in the course of the tale, issues like irregular development, corruption and exploitation that we turn a blind eye to, so we can preserve our bucolic pleasures, are exposed for what they are. But the best bit was that in the post film discussion, the director emphatically claimed, “There is no message”. Thank ye gods.
Hansa should be released in Indian cinemas soon. For the others, well I guess we’ll have to wait for the DVDs to come out!
