SIAMESE TWINS OF FEMALE APATHY AND MALE CHAUVINISM

Harri Holkeri, the Finnish statesman, declared with sapience: “Men and women have roles– their roles are different, but their rights are equal.” In patriarchal and chauvinistic families though, women are made to assume subservient roles and afforded subordinate rights...often not only by men, but also other women, given prevalent societal and interpersonal constructs.

ಅಮ್ಮಚಿಯೆಂಬ ನೆನಪು (Ammachi Yemba Nenapu) is a 2018 Kannada film, which looks into sexist mindsets, gender inequality, male chauvinism and much more. The unfolding of the storyline is akin to the peeling of an onion– while it weaves sub-plots within the narrative, there are several layered perspectives to prevalent norms about female roles and rights. It deals with cross-generational men-women and women-women relationships within joint families.

Set in a small village of coastal Karnataka– pristine and picturesque, the locale is a visual treat, as one would imagine– the film provides a ring-side, sneak-peek into the lives of women within one large family. Specifically, Ammachi, a teenager; Akku, a woman with intellectual disability; Puttammatte, an old, frail widow; Sita, a tween; and, others provide the characters for exploring relationships on director, Champa Shetty's canvas.

The movie, based on three short stories of Vaidehi, a Sahitya Akademi awardee, is a gem...one for the ages. Armed with the women-oriented theme, Champa's handling of the poignant story is soft and subtle; the narration is not sermonic. Without getting prim-n-proper or pretentious, her presentation is dainty and delicate. Courtesy: tight, engaging screenplay. The pace is slow...deliberate, but not cumbersome. The Kundapura Kannada dialect used for the dialogues is an aural delight; it is as intoxicating as a fine wine.

The cast, which includes Raj B. Shetty, has put up creditworthy performances. The technical elements of editing, background score and cinematography are all as good as it gets.

Despite being offbeat, this film is not artsy-fartsy. It is definitely a treat for the connoisseur.

I rate it: 8 on 10!