Sri Lankan movie ‘Paangshu’ hits that rare sweet spot in World Cinema

by Sanath Nanayakkare

Not all good movies are made for everyone. But ‘Paangshu’ director and screenplay writer Visakesa Chandrasekaram seems to have found the most effective possible combination in making this movie which resonates with people in Sri Lanka and anywhere in the world.

One may not agree with some of the plot’s political elements, but all would be moved to tears as they watch the movie, for everyone is supposed to sense the unbearable grief of an innocent mother searching for her son abducted by a paramilitary group, especially when all but she knows there is no point in looking, as her son had probably been snatched and already taken to another world.

However, the right dose of Visakesa’s creativity keeps ‘Paangshu’ separated from the dark overtones of its core narrative – the abductions and extra-judicial killings that took place in the South during the second uprising of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in the late 1980s while a violent war continued between Tamil terrorists and government security forces. in the North.

Through carefully produced artistic visuals, Visakesa gets his viewers to imagine themselves in the situation or circumstances of Babanona (mother), without judging her son for his ‘extremist’ political activism. In other words; the director effortlessly puts the audience in Babanona’s world to experience a compelling story of human interest

Strikingly the colour palette of the movie highlights white in various intensities that lend composure to the film’s quiet tenor though what really runs underneath is the torment of families of missing persons in the North and South of Sri Lanka.

Cinematography by Dimuthu Kalinga has figured out how to present each frame to communicate emotions in the clear goal-driven story.

Music director Chinthaka Jayakody and sound engineer Aruna Priyantha Kaluarachchi have complemented each other very well to motivate viewers to keep consuming the story.

‘Paangshu’ brings out arguably the best movie persona in Nita Fernando’s illustrious film career (Lasanda, Duhulu Malak, Hadawath Neththo). She has proven herself to be a classy actress of our time for the depth of her character.

The movie’s epiphany occurs when the director, screenplay writer, cinematographer, musician and actors ‘speak to you’, becoming something more than the sum of their parts.

The epiphany from ‘Paangshu’ is not a life-changing moment or realisation. It’s a discovery that consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what few have cared to think.

Film title: Paangshu – English title: ‘Earth’

Subtitles: English

Duration: 85 minutes

Synopsis:

Babanona (Nita Fernando), a launderer belonged to one of the lowest castes in Sri Lanka is summoned to an identification parade where she identifies Lionel as one of the paramilitary men who abducted her son during the 1988/89 insurgency. While Indika (Jagath Manuwarna), the young public prosecutor shows little or no interest in helping Babanona finding her missing son, Namalee (Nadie kammallaweera), the pregnant wife of the paramilitary man seeks forgiveness from the launderer. As the prolonging hearings in the dilapidated courthouse continue for months, shameful secrets are gradually unearthed by the defeated rebels, victorious soldiers and those who were crushed in between.

International Awards:

Nita Fernando – Best Actress, 2019 Nice International Film Festival, France

Saviour Kanishka – Best Supporting Actor, 2019 Golden Door International Film Festival

Kumara Karawdeniya – Best Costume Designer 2019 Nice International Film Festival

Visakesa Chandrasekaram – Royal Reel Award, 2019 Canada International Film Festival

Visakesa Chandrasekaram – Special Jury Mention, 2019 Religion Today Film Festival, Italy

International Awards Nominations:

Best Screenplay, 2019 Nice International Film Festival

Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, Editor and Cinematography (8 nominations) 2019 Golden Door International Film Festival

International Festivals:

2018 Montreal World Film Festival, Cananda

2019 Pune International Film Festival, India

2019 Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh

2019 Aswan International Women’s Film Festival, Egypt

2019 Barcelona Imagine India International Film Festival, Spain

2019 Canada International Film Festival, Canada

2019 Nice International Film Festival, France

2019 Jagran Film Festival, India

2019 Singapore South Asia International Film Festival, Singapore

2019 New Jersey Golden Door Film Festival, USA

2019 Sakhalin International Film Festival, Russia

2019 Jaffna International Cinema Festival, Sri Lanka

2019 Religion Today Film Festival, Italy

2019 Guwahati International Film Festival, India 2019

Jogja International Film Festival, Indonesia