Based on short stories by Thakazhy Sivasankara Pillai and set in the villages of Kerala, the latest from master filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan focuses on four women who strain against the roles that society has placed upon them. In “The Prostitute,” the titular character enters into a common law marriage but finds that it is not easy to escape the stigma of her past. In “The Virgin,” a young woman suffers through a comically bad and mercifully short marriage. “The Wife” focuses on an otherwise happily married woman tempted to take extreme action in order to conceive a child. In the final segment, Nandita Das plays “The Spinster,” who is passed up for marriage in favor of her younger sister making her an object of pity and a burden in her family’s eyes.

Restricting himself to a minimalist palette, Gopalakrishnan allows his stories to unfold without imposing his authorial voice on them. The result is a collection of subtle works all the more emotionally devastating because of the restraint with which they are told.

Malayalam (English subtitles)

Presented by the Valley Malayalee Arts & Sports Club

Print Source:
Mr. Shankar Mohan
Directorate of Film Festivals
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New Delhi, Delhi 110049
India
Phone: +91-11-26490457
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Email: sdd.dff@nic.in

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