JitkaCardova

Napsali jsme text do festivalového katalogu v Trishuru v jižní Indii (Kerala) - koluje i po FB, kde ho šíří sám režisér:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200660967066013&set=a.1132442390674.2021736.1215715074&type=1&theater

Papilio Buddha in the eyes of foreign beholders

 

It is a surface-cracking experience

The nowadays Indian cinematography obviously differs in every aspect from the Western one. It is visible in such mainstream Indian movies which we can identify as inspired by those from Western world – and which can be seen as „translated“ into “Indian style” and Indian film language.

We can say that while watching mainstream Malayalam movies, foreigners have to deal with the same essentially unexpectable features they have to deal with while facing Indian everyday reality. Slight illegibility – this can be the resulting experience. Let’s say, that it is comparable to the experience of Kerala people’s kindness, positive approach and smiley faces – after some time you start to read it as a constant value which doesn’t give much specific information about what the people really feel, think, imagine and live here.

One needs to undergo a certain surface-cracking experience (or rather several) to get at least more directed, if still not oriented in the Indian reality. We as notorious cinefiles have to admit that Papilio Buddha prepared exactly such a full-bodied cracking experience for us.

 

The movie itself mirrors certain magical qualities inherited and working

Jayan Cherian’s movie fails to be understood through any standard categories or presumable ways. One mustn’t take it only as a realistic picture, or politically exposed statement, or a hard-core subversive violent movie... All such views fail once you are confronted with the complex nature of this piece of film art: it uncovers – in various ways and in inevitably intensifying pace – what the people of Kerala actually consider as the utmost dangers.

The movie let you see what causes their hidden fears, and not only in pragmatic reality, but also and mainly in the realms of their minds, spirituality, primal wisdoms, dreams and passions. And this way – tracing the visible collisions on political and social scene – it let you feel and intuitively understand what ancient energies and powers exist here, colliding and fighting in those unseeable dimensions of the surface reality. The movie itself mirrors certain magical qualities inherited and working, and that is nothing one would expect of any movie about present state of any nowadays society, but can after all understand and accept as a truly original and genuine art work born in Kerala.

 

It is a message about both the vices and strengths of today’s Kerala

Nevertheless the movie is at the same time exceptional exactly because of its bold accuracy and strictness in dealing with so sensitive social and political topics and problems of a nowadays state. The dark powers are indeed active in every country, every society, and even in every single human being, but maybe only the strongest among us are able to face them – and also reflect them. Thus the very fact that such a cinematographic work exists is delivering a message not only about the vices, but also about the virtues and strengths of today’s Kerala. We honestly can not imagine that any power would be able to create, screen and face such a work in our home country in the nearest future, but we certainly would wish so. Therefore this Cherian’s movie is not only a great and unique experience of the film medium itself for us, but also a remarkably rich and complex message about the country we are now visiting and we already admire so much. It brings to us both the beauty and hope.

 

Ondrej Cakl, Jitka Cardova & Oldrich Vagner