A world of films. Films of the world.

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I watched 23 movies in a span of 7 days at the 22nd international film festival of Kerala last month in Trivandrum. The theme was identity and displacement. I ended up watching some of the finest movies made on the subject, in the last year, from across the world. 


In the end, I realised with greater conviction that people are the same everywhere. The human race in it's entirety is a victim of prejudice/hatred/suspicion/intolerance. Most people are plain humans who, given a chance want peace and harmony and to love and to laugh. Women everywhere in the world are battling hypocrisy and struggle to be seen as humans instead of women. "Women" being fragile creatures on whom the "honour" of "decent" society lies. 

The films that flash before my eyes as I write this are, L'insulte (French, Arabic; dir: Ziad Doueiri), Ava (Pharsi; dir: Sadaf Foroughi), Oh!Lucy (Japanese; Dir: Atsuko Hiranayagi), Une saison en France (French; Dir: Mahamet Saleh Haroun), Grigris (French, dir: Mahamet Saleh Haroun), Holy Air (Arabic, Hebrew; Dir: Shady Srour),  Wajib (Arabic; Dir: Annemarie Jacir) and Karutha Joothan (Malayalam,  dir: Salim Khan), The Cakemaker (English, Hebrew, German; dir: Ophir Raul Graizer), Shehjar (Kashmiri, Hindi; dir: Nikhil Allug). 


Films outside of the theme subject that stayed with me are:

The summer of miracles (malayalam; Dir: Prashant Vijay). It explored the world through the eyes of a young boy who is torn between rational thinking (inculcated in him by his father, who has for unknown reasons gone missing, probably for ever) and a hope for miracles (fueled by his mother and family in a desperate attempt to curb his scientific temper for fear of accidents)

Take Off (Malayalam; Dir: mahesh Narayan) Mainly for the un-flawed performance of actress Parvathy. Inspiring!

Newton (Hindi; Dir: Amit V Masurkar). i found every last element in this little gem to be perfect.

The Young Karl Marx (English, German, French; dir: Raoul Peck) remarkable story about a remarkable man and his remarkable friend, remarkably told. 

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