Dharmasena Pathiraja’s 1978 drama, now revived, elegantly broaches universal themes with its story of city slickers disturbing a fishing village
Painstakingly restored from the sole surviving, badly damaged 35mm print, this realist drama from 1978 is well worth the effort, not only because it is a landmark of Sri Lankan cinema (the three lead actors are all local legends), but also because it addresses universal socio-political themes with elegant simplicity.
The setting is a remote fishing village, barely touched by the modern world, where the Christian villagers still haul in the nets together by hand. Cruising in from the city comes Victor (Vijaya Kumaratunga), returning son of a local fishing boss, who sticks out like a sore thumb with his fashionable flared jeans, bouffant hairstyle and taste for western music. He’s soon joined by his friend Weera, a hippie-leftist type who sees the village as some idealised Marxist utopia. “It...
Painstakingly restored from the sole surviving, badly damaged 35mm print, this realist drama from 1978 is well worth the effort, not only because it is a landmark of Sri Lankan cinema (the three lead actors are all local legends), but also because it addresses universal socio-political themes with elegant simplicity.
The setting is a remote fishing village, barely touched by the modern world, where the Christian villagers still haul in the nets together by hand. Cruising in from the city comes Victor (Vijaya Kumaratunga), returning son of a local fishing boss, who sticks out like a sore thumb with his fashionable flared jeans, bouffant hairstyle and taste for western music. He’s soon joined by his friend Weera, a hippie-leftist type who sees the village as some idealised Marxist utopia. “It...
- 7/12/2021
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
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