Worth the watch: The Well screens Saturday night at IFFLA.
More than masalas
By John Esther
Now in its eighth year, the annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles continues to offer premieres, films, seminars and ArcLight Hollywood’s courtyard filled with those decorated tents where singers and Bollywood dancers performing at the nightly freeRhythm Village.
Running through Sunday, here are some of the films running at this year's festival:
At My Doorsteps -- While it could be set in nearly any large city in the world, Nishtha Jain's documentary takes a look at the lives behind people doing menial work in high rise apartments in downtown Mumbai, India. Often from small villages young men and women come to the city looking to make a lucrative 2000 Rupees ($50.00) per month by taking out the trash, washing the laundry of others, hauling large objects and other chores. But behind the veneer of helplessness and struggle at work, at home these people can have happy moments, possess realistic dreams and aspirations yet they are quite aware their lot will never get much better in life (a contrast to the US where the working classes think they will move up the economic ladder through hard work). Solid in its scope, At My Doorsteps is a meaningful documentary that may have you acknowledging something beyond just the name and face of the employee in front of you next time you see him or her.
The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet's Struggle for Freedom -- According to co-directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam's documentary, over one million Tibetans have died fighting for independence from the Chinese goverment yet the struggle seems to remain at ground zero. In the epicenter of this struggle is the Dalai Lama and his ideas of Middle Way of Cultural autonomy and those Tibetans wanting a more independent approach. Tibetans struggle with their religous worship for the Dalai Lama and their political criticisms for his ideas. How do you love and obey a leader when he just does not seem to be doing enough? While other documentaries have explored the Chinese oppression of Tibetans, The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet's Struggle for Freedom offers a fresh insight into the internal stuggles for Tibet's liberation.
The Well -- In an impressive feature debut, director Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni follows two cousins facing choices of personal freedom and family obligations. Sameer (Madan Deodhar) and his cousin Nachiket (Alok Rajwade) are very close. On the cusp of adulthood, Sameer has engineered an Apollonian modus operandi while Nachiket feels out his Dionysian impulses. After a tragic accident (or was it an escape?), one of the cousins gramples with his crippling isolation yet eventual liberation. While the 116-minute film does have its lulls there is a dramatic sophistication highlighted by Sudheer Palsane's exquisite cinematography, which makes the film worth the view during the festival -- especially since it is doubtful the film will receive a release in the U.S.
For more information, please go to http://www.indianfilmfestival.org./
