Jamie passion and passionfruit!

Achingly beautiful and sad film about the plight of widows in India, set in 1938 with the rise of Gandhi.  A Brahmin law graduate (John Abraham) falls in love with a widow who lives in a special widows’ ashram where the rights of the women are not respected and they are treated according to 2000 year-old religious laws.  The catalyst for the union is an eight year-old, Chuyia (well-played by Sarala), who faces a lifetime in this house.  The film provoked much wrath when it was made and had to be shot in Sri Lanka.  The characters, the actors, the photography are all both real and beautiful showing a world trapped in beliefs that are probably no longer relevant and have been twisted to suit economic reasons.  As a piece of film making and a social tract it works very well and while not perhaps brilliant, this is a film with a lot to offer and a very particular mood.

* * * * +

Christopher Guest written and directed spoof on an independent film tipped for Oscar nominations and the consequent Hollywood hype machine.  In parts it is quite funny with some good caricatures of the typical Hollywood TV types but basically it never lifts off the ground.  I did like Catherine O’Hara and Harry Shearer in the leads.  Shame because the subject matter gives for much much more.

* * +