Folks,
The TIFF describes the film this way:
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Drawing together a keen environmental sensitivity with a nuanced view of
village dynamics, The Man Beyond the Bridge is a rare find from rural India.
Unfolding in Konkani – a language with no unique script that almost never
appears in films – this is a gentle romance set against the lovely forest
setting of Goa's Western Ghats.
Vinayak is a forest ranger. His wife has died, leaving him lonely as he patrols
vast areas of protected landscape. One day, he finds a madwoman cowering behind
his house. He offers her shelter, and slowly, a tentative relationship begins
to form. Each night he leaves out food for her, and each night she returns to
eat and sleep in his yard.
Ignoring the gossip of the nearby village, which casts out anyone with a mental
illness, Vinayak soon takes the woman into his home, and then into his bed. But
when she becomes pregnant, it is he who risks becoming an outcast.
Director Laxmikant Shetgaonkar tells his tale with grace and attentiveness.
Immersed in the culture of the region, he takes village traditions and beliefs
seriously, while casting a jaundiced eye on those who exploit them. A subplot
introduces a village headman who plans to build a temple on forest land in a
crass bid for election. It's Vinayak's duty to oppose the construction, but the
headman has key villagers in his pocket, including thieves who steal forest
wood to build the temple, and even the priest who could legitimize the union of
Vinayak and his new love.
Far from the sensory overload of India's big cities, The Man Beyond the Bridge
satisfies itself with exploring smaller but enduring dilemmas. What liberties
can be taken with a natural environment by those entrusted to protect it? Is a
man who marries a madwoman helping her or taking advantage? Shetgaonkar takes
up these questions with humility and heart, finding an apt metaphor in a
delicate rope bridge that links the wild forest to the so-called civilization
of the village.
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Folks,
Since this is the first Konkani film to get shown by the TIFF, I decided to go
see the film, fully expecting it to be one of those films that move along
slowly. I enjoy comedy's. I enjoy films that are social commentaries and most
of all, I enjoy films that make people think. "Paltadacho Munis" starts off
slowly. It is not a light hearted movie although it has it's moments. It is
surely a social commentary and finishes off as a film that does make you think.
The movie is shot in the remoter parts of Goa. The sound effects are most
excellent. You can hear the sounds of all the birds and insects of the Goan
country side. While the story line progresses at a slow place, you eventually
figure out this is done deliberately as it gives the opportunity for the
audience to reflect about the problems the character face v/s the problem the
viewer faces in everyday life.
The film also questions the influence that religion has on a society. More
specifically, it shows how the unscrupulous use religion, the religious and the
faithful to achieve their commercial exploitation. I was surprised by this
facet of the film, especially since it did receive a grant from the Indian
authorities . In this regard, I am glad that those who made the grant did not
try to influence the work of the director.
As for the director, he has done a good job with this movie. I left felling
that he got this project 95% right. In another movie or two he will be
producing classics. This movie has a tough subject and he has done an
excellent job with it.
Finally, will I recommend this movie to anyone?
Sure. It is a movie worth seeing.
Mervyn1650Lobo
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