It is human nature to be fascinated by other people’s lives. Curiosity is innate to our species. Voyeurism, whether of a benign or nefarious nature, is a quintessential example, and the surge in popularity of reality television programs in the last decade is testament to this ongoing appeal. It is no surprise, then, that Canada’s annual international documentary forum – HotDocs – generates the anticipation and excitement that it does. After all, local and international filmmakers afford us an intimate insider’s view into the lives of people around the world. How utterly fascinating. Over the coming weeks, I will share with you some of lives I have had the privilege of peeking into.
Let me start this week with the shortest film that left the biggest impression.
Namrata, a 9-minute short film directed by Shazia Javed and produced by the National Film Board of Canada, screened for the first time in Toronto this week. Namrata Gill, the woman baring her soul for viewers, was also an inspiration behind Deepa Mehta’s movie, Heaven on Earth (See my earlier blog “Life After Marriage: Heaven on Earth?”: http://mybindi.com/lifestyles/ArticleDetailUI.aspx?RefId=1237). Sometimes, less really is more.
The film opened simply, quietly, with Namrata talking of that day 17 years ago, when she was an innocent young woman in India getting married with all the hope and expectation of a happy married life in Canada. Dressed in her wedding lehenga, she gazed at a mirror as she spoke, slowly adorning herself with her bridal jewellery. That day was to be the first day of the rest of her life, her dreams were coming true.
Reality in Edmonton was not what she expected. Now dressed in elegant casual wear, she spoke candidly of the early years of her marriage. Whereas she had hoped to pursue higher education to get a good job, her husband did not permit this, instead requiring her to work grueling long hours at the family-owned convenience store. (After all, knowledge is power and how could he exert control over her if she became aware of her rights?) Eventually, she bore a child, a daughter, all the while enduring increasing emotional and verbal abuse. Inevitably, the abuse became physical for minor transgressions, and sometimes for no reason at all. As is often the case in domestic violence, his reactions were unpredictable and therefore unpreventable. She recalled one instance when she was pinned to the floor by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law so that her husband could mete out her punishment more effectively. Throughout it all, she wanted to escape the marriage, but did not know what to do or how to do it, and she worried about losing her daughter. So, Namrata remained silent, not confiding in anyone, not seeking out help. She breathed not a word to her family in India, for fear of causing them anxiety or shame.
Then one fateful night, everything changed. Her husband, whose touch she had grown to detest, forced himself upon her and violated her as a woman. Perhaps she had hit rock-bottom, perhaps she felt she had nothing left to lose, but she finally mustered the courage to share her hardships with her family. Her father came immediately from India to support her and to help her find the community resources she needed to extricate herself (and her daughter) from her abusive situation. And as she developed emotional strength, she worked out to develop her physical strength.
[SPOILER ALERT! Do not read what follows if you do not want to know how it ends.]
The last scene was so dramatic, even in its simplicity, that it took my breath away. We could not see Namrata, but she was clearly getting ready again. The camera’s close angles focused on a snap here, a button there. It gradually became apparent that this time, instead of adorning herself as a bride, she was adorning herself with accoutrements of a different nature altogether… and as she pushed a baton into her belt loop, shoved a gun into its holster and placed her police officer’s cap on her head, she reclaimed her power, her independence and her womanhood.
And let me tell you, the audience absolutely loved it.
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