Kingdom of Clay Subjects

At some point, all children lose their innocence. For 10-year-old Jamal and his best friend Lokkhi, that time has come. In a small rural village in Bangladesh, traditions rule daily life. Lokkhi, the youngest of three daughters, has been promised to a local landowner's grandson, but her parents, poor farmers, are unable to pay the dowry and have been given two months to fulfill their end of the deal. Otherwise, Lokkhi will be returned to them in shame. Jamal, a bike-shop attendant who dreams of nothing more than to attend school, can do nothing as he watches his best friend heartlessly married off. Through trials and tribulations, the two struggle to understand that one's caste and gender dictates one's position in life. With a child's-eye view of events reminiscent of Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali, this is a tale told with humor, visual flair, and a canny sense of narrative. Director Bijon shows real empathy for both the children's sadness and their ingenious pluck in the face of life's obstacles. (Seattle International Film Festival)