STI Movies

Diary
-Maanav Mohan
PGP/19/022
1. The Magdalene Sisters

The film perturbed me through its portrayal of the treatment meted out to the women.
Though it spoke of the 1900s, the film according to me also captures the essence of
today’s world, where a woman is deprived of choices and is accused for the faults of
men, including rape. It changed my mental image of nuns from kind and soft-spoken to
harsh and sadistic people. I was also shocked when the girls were sexually harassed by
the nuns and humiliated. The desperation of Bernadette to escape from the laundry by
almost selling herself saddened me. The hardest portions of the movie were when the
families of Margaret, Rose and Una disowned them. Had I been in any of their situations,
I don’t know how I would have endured the silence, the mundane job, and the verbal and
physical harassment in the laundry. Though initially Bernadette’s stealing of Crispina’s
locket annoyed me, later I was able to sympathize with her and understand her
frustration. Crispina’s story was gut wrenching, particularly when her sister used to bring
her son to the gate of the laundry. The positive moments in the story were during the
escape of Bernadette and Patricia. In the end, the movie left me pondering about the
inhumanness in each of us.

2. A Love to Hide

This movie has made me sad. How can people lose their rationality to such an extent?
Killing someone for being homosexual? Jean and Philippe were such harmless people
and yet they suffered such terrible death. How does someone being gay or straight affect
the world order? The Sun still rises every day and the stars are all there. But the Nazis
were so lost into their false illusions and beliefs about ideal world order that killing had
become their everyday business. I feel glad that Nazis had to suffer shameful defeat. I
feel the same way for Jacques who was the root cause of all the suffering. He was
completely immune to other’s feelings and sufferings and ultimately got what he
deserved. I admire Sarah. In spite of all that she went through – loss of family, Jean – she
still kept herself composed (especially the brutal scene where Philippe is killed). It was
quite contrary to the conventional image. Also, she was a true lover. She loves Jean the
same way after he comes back from camp. Such a rare sight in today’s materialistic
world!

3. The World Before Her

The movie presented two different forms of Indian woman, an orthodox and a modern
one. The questions posed in front of the parents of the two protagonist gave a clear
picture in the difference of thoughts of two families. The statement by the orthodox
protagonist that she is very thankful that her father gave her a chance to live and her
justification for the cruel punitive actions taken against her during her childhood signified
that although she felt herself to be self-sufficient but she was actually supressed by the
societal pressure. While on the other hand, the modern girl was allowed to follow her
dreams and well supported by her parents but I wasn’t able to identify whether she was
blinded by her ambition or not?

4. Lesser Humans

I almost felt like puking today, when that man went inside the drain hole to clean the
pipeline. I couldn’t believe what I saw. I knew that men used to clean and unblock the
drainage pipeline whenever it would get blocked but I really never thought much about
the process. I am actually surprised that how can a Government allow people to work in
such inhumane and dangerous environment. How can manual scavenging be allowed. It
is just pathetic that how people justify the work of manual scavengers by saying that it is
their inherent job because that is their caste. This movie has totally repulsed me and not
due to the gory images but the attitude showed by upper class men and women when they
were confronted by the problem. Caste based prejudice is a malignant tumor which has
plagued are society since ancient times, if it is not removed it may end the idea of India
being a democratic country where everyone is equal.

5. In the Name of Ram

This movie revealed an ugly truth, the riots during the whole Ayodhya issue, which I
knew little about courtesy repeated newspaper reports and commentary around the issue.
However, this documentary showed the recording of the events as they unfolded, the
interviews and the hate speeches. It is shocking to see that negligent people who want to
propagate their agenda can just use half-truths to mobilize mobs, cause destruction and
play with sentiments of the minorities. It’s sad that our country has voted for such parties.
What astonishes me is the active involvement of educated and employed public who are
supposedly sensible enough to distinguish the right from wrong. Neither Ram nor Allah
preach violence and that is essentially why every religion is equal. It is such a sad state of
affairs which need addressed as and when such circumstances arise. Hearing some people
supporting the building of both a temple and a mosque gives me some hope.

6. Don’t Tell
I found this movie quite confusing. There were several stories which were being told at
the same point. What I could judge that the main motive of the movie was to highlight the
act of child abuse and how its repercussions aggravate because most of the families
decide to supress the matter to save the pride for the family. But there were several
distractions in the movie such as the love of Emilia for Sabina and later for her colleague,
the extra marital affair of Sabina’s partner which were taking away the attention from the
issue at the hand. What could be done to stop these kind of incidences… I think the main
issue is that most of the children are not able to identify such practices at the tender age
and they unknowingly become the victim of these incidents.

7. Silenced

This time again, a movie on child sexual abuse. Even more agonizing because specially-
abled were abused by school teachers. Whom do they tell? How do they tell? And who
would listen to them? Does the movie depicting the story of South Korea mean the crime
is limited to South Korea? Certainly not. The children are so intelligent when they can
think more logically than a learned and educated lawyer (the point where the girl
identifies the culprit). All is needed is to provide them justice which is denied to them by
the influential class or their own families living in miserable conditions. The family does
not understand that no amount of money can bring peace to their mind who have been
abused and assaulted. And a ray of hope that the movie gives is that such meaningful and
beautiful movies are picturized and they create a revolution in the country. Something
similar if happens in whole of the world and we could change the course of our lives.

8. Grave of the Fireflies

Perhaps the best animated movie that I have ever seen. The film’s treatment of a critical
subject like the horrors of the Second World War is an enlightening one. The story of
innocence lost and two children who ultimately face a losing battle with trying to survive
in a small Japanese village in the closing days of World War II which was the costliest
conflict in world history, with millions dead and thousands left to pick up the pieces. The
brother after writing the story turns mad. The guilt of eating the food first whenever he
gets hands on it does not allow him to live in sanity.
It is a bold statement on the condition of the human soul during conflict. It's brave, it's not
overly sentimental, but it is relentless in its dramatization of a dangerous reality. It should
be required viewing in all schools.

9. Two Women
I was disconcerted after watching the movie. I felt terrified at having my spirits and free
will destroyed like what transpired with Fereshteh. The methodical curbing of
Fereshteh’s freedom and independence by her family and her husband raised a fear in me.
When her father blamed her for being stalked, I could relate to the Indian society,
wherein the women are held responsible for no fault of theirs. The emotional violence
that Fereshteh suffered from at the hands of her husband made me sympathise with her.
However I admired her endurance and persistence in her efforts to read secretly. Roya
inspired me with the way she balanced her marriage and held herself on equal terms with
her husband. Post the film, I was left pondering about my own sense of identity.

10. All About My Mother

Sadly, as I sat down to watch the last movie for this course, I somehow knew that this
movie would somehow change the way I see the world. Rightly so, it did. Not only did
the movie throw light on the lives of trans-genders, prostitutes, HIV patients and single
mothers, it made me realize that these men and women are as human as any of us. They
have the right to choose who they want to be and society should accept just as they are. I
empathize with the protagonist for having to flee from her husband, raise her child all by
herself and later see him die right in front of her eyes. That’s the saddest thing a woman
could have had to go through. This movie was idle for ending this subject and bring about
a transformation in our thinking.