The power of words. The 45th Moscow International Film Festival presented us with a gift in the form of two South Indian films that participated in screenings on an out-of-competition basis. According to some established scheme, foreign film festivals (including Russian ones) often host films in Malayalam and Tamil languages. Of course, the “fault” of all the artistic level of work, bordering on realism, more familiar to the Western audience. This time was no exception. Films really came from those very regions, and thematically contained all the features of film festival films, from the political agenda to the religious. Unfortunately, even being a suitable material, they were not allowed before the competitive judging.
Ahead of the planet at such events arthouse films with a pronounced blackness and bias in the violent existence of disadvantaged segments of the population. Behind such darkness, it is very difficult to see worthy films. But if you try, you can catch a diamond, which will be discussed below. But before I mention one more significant detail – the link between the films was not only their South Indian location, but also the actor who played in both main roles. So, the guests of our film festival were “The Great Man” (Tamil, 2022) and “19(1)(a)” (Malayalam, 2022), and with them “screen” guest was Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi. Now, let's get this straight.
Is a female director a myth or a reality? Somewhere in the secondary roles of filmmaking may be reality, but that the woman herself wrote the script and led the filming process, it is beyond fiction. And this amazing person turned out to be Indu V.S. Looking nice and, judging by the footage from the set, a girl disposed to herself, as well as an introvert by character, in her own words, Indus made, in my opinion, in some way a revolution in her film industry. Not only is it a big leap on the path to an equal society at the gender level, but she also raised a political issue in the plot of her film. For the debutante, this is more than enough to attract attention.
Though I think Indus did a little trickery. She does not hide the fact that the male role was considered only Sethu and no one else, and also, if he did not approve the script, perhaps this film would not have been. No distance prevented the future director from finding his hero and convincing him to participate in his project, despite the frantic employment. I believe that all debutants have such zeal and perseverance, from which Seth simply has no recoil. As a result, having achieved the presence of a key figure in his risky venture, Indus had only to find him a suitable pair, which she did with the expectation of mass interest. True, Nitya Menen is not just an addition to anyone, even if it is a genius Sethupathi. Therefore, to equalize screen partners in the degree of importance to the story, Indu led the narrative on behalf of Nitya, and Sethu left to fill ideological voids in the development and formation of a new worldview of the girl.
Who wants the truth? The plot of the film clearly traces the existing problem in society, hidden behind the non-obvious title 19(1)(A). In fact, it is an article of the Constitution of India: All citizens have the right to freedom of speech and expression. But the meaning of history is not to find a way out of the current situation, it is more leisurely reflections of the author about people living in conditions of prohibition of other opinion. A writer, like a public man, is put in mortal danger every day for every word he publishes. A girl who, because of the rigidity of the views of society, cannot manifest her true desires. The director partly deliberately gave her story a touch of universality. She did not link to a particular regional zone or religion, so the writer is Tamil, and the girl remained nameless. This can happen anywhere and with anyone, says Indu.
The emphasis in the narrative was made not even on words, but on the feelings and feelings of the characters. Many scenes take place in complete silence. Viewers are given the opportunity to feel what the characters are going through at one time or another. And it was perfect for Indus as an idea maker. You can compare her with a virtuoso musician, when she through music with shades of any mood creates amazing emotional worlds, where words are nothing, and imagination is everything. Composer Govind Vasanta once again turns the mind with his powerful musical theme. It is the music that stands here in the first place from the very first frame to the last. Indu says the melody rang in her head throughout the time she wrote the script. Well, the visual part completely fell on the shoulders of Sethu and Nitya. And although they were bred on different sides of the present time (Sethu is in the past, and Nitya is in the moment of the “here and now”), even if their meeting was quite short, but the connection between them is so tangible and strong that sometimes it seems as if the girl is overcome by feelings of a different kind than just admiration, respect and awe of a brave and talented revolutionary.
And yet this story is not about relationships, but about the inner world of individuals. It's like we're looking deep into their souls, and it's really fascinating. Sethu is believable to the chills, and Nitya is natural and in some ways even innocent. He has already seen a lot and is ready to share his experience with the world, and she has not yet started to really live. The mood of the film is tense and waiting. However, this is a common condition when viewing Malayalam paintings. But if you think that in the beginning you immediately show the end, then you are mistaken. This is just a well-built intrigue. Even taking into account the fate of the hero Sethu, it becomes even more interesting to watch him further. And if you look at it through the eyes of Nitya, then the boundaries that separate their reality are practically erased.
The ending of their story is also unpredictable. When the author puts a bold point, he leaves us no chance to interpret the ending differently, to think of something of our own. This is such a complete story that at the end there is no question to its creator. But still, it is advisable to stay with the film one-on-one, perhaps even review it several times, so as not to miss a single detail. Because when you first watch, what's happening on the screen is too emotionally exciting. By the way, Indu clarifies that emotions for her have become more important than politics. But this did not prevent her from combining a lively human drama with a serious social theme of rights and freedoms. And when the screen goes out, there's only one thought left in my head. It's not a detective, it's the truth of life. 'Who's the killer? Maybe all of us.