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Dark comedy Two soldiers battle it out on No Man’s Land

Organised by Meta-Culture Dialogics in association with Bangalore Film Society, Breakthrough, Alliance Francaise and Max Mueller Bhavan, the film festival screened a wide variety of films but examined each one from the perspective of conflict resolution. It was this range of issues and perspectives that was most notable about the festival. From stories of inter-racial conflict to domestic disturbance to water wars to labour battles to war, the festival examined just about every definition of conflict and resolution.

Thus, the films varied vastly in tone. “First Lesson in Peace” by Yoram Honig, the story of a little girl’s experiences in a bilingual Hebrew and Arabic school for Palestinian and Israeli children reflected a gentle optimism, for instance, while “Un Air de Famille” by Cedric Klapisch had a rather heady, tongue-in-cheek take on dysfunctional families.

And “No More Tears Sister” by Helen Klodawsky had a poignant and gritty perspective to offer on the ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, told through the life of Dr. Rajani Thiranagama. What is also quite remarkable about “Beyond Good and Bad” is that it shared space equally between films and directors of repute and those had not the reputation but an important perspective to offer.

Thus, for instance, the screening of Akiro Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” was eagerly attended by many. This film on the complex nature of truth and the importance of perspective is one of the most influential films of Kurosawa’s career, and is often regarded as the film that first brought the master director into the international spotlight.

So too was the Academy Award winning Bosnian film “No Man’s Land”, a black comedy on two soldiers of opposing armies trapped in a trench while bureaucracy and different agencies try and work out what is best to be done with the media in breathless attendance.

On the other hand, lesser known films such as Anwar Jamal’s “The Little Republic” (on the attempts of four women to bring water to their parched village), Laurent Cantet’s “Human Resources” (on a labour conflict involving the 35-hour work week) and Avi Lewis’s “The Take” (on workers in economically depressed Argentina reclaiming shut down factories) also made a profound impression on one’s mind.

What was most interesting about the festival, however, was the attempt at discussions after each film that went beyond merely debating if a film was good or bad and tried to deal with the issue of conflict resolution itself. Thus, for instance, the discussion following “First Lesson in Peace” dealt with the need to integrate and interact with the outsider in order for peaceful coexistence.

Similarly, the discussion after “Rashomon” looked at the difficulties of judgement and providing justice in cases of conflicting perspectives. “The Little Republic” brought out opinions on the difficulties of low-caste women, oppressed by caste hierarchy on side and by their husbands and patriarchy on another.

Of course, the festival was not without its initial glitches. A bad sound system on the first day, made watching the opening film quite the painful affair. And the choice of the Ashirwad hall off St. Mark’s Road may not have been the most prudent either, since a better, more accessible venue may have ensured a greater audience.

For those that did attend, however, “Beyond Good and Bad” turned out to be worth the effort in the end.

RAKESH MEHAR

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