A Cine-Film Sri Lanka production. Produced by Renuka Balasooriya,
Somarathna Dissanayaka. Directed, written by Prasanna Jayakody.
With: Thumindhu Dodantenna, Sanchini Ayendra, Nilupa Heenkendaarachchi, K.A. Milton Perera.
The aesthetics of Buddhist philosophy are given a slow, richly
colored work-up in small-screen helmer Prasanna Jayakody's very
un-TV-like feature debut "Sankara." Suffused with the tension between
spiritual perfection and earthly desires, this explicatory parable of a
young monk's inner battle is meticulously thought out and lensed, each
scene illustrating a Buddhist precept which is then contrasted with the
ineluctable power of female charms. Perhaps best appreciated by
Buddhists, pic took home the Silver Pyramid in Cairo and should find
receptive arms at varied fests.
Beautiful opening sets the scene
as a monk (Thumindhu Dodantenna) walks through emerald-green fields to
a village temple in southern Sri Lanka. Sound, of overriding importance
throughout pic, is immediately prioritized as the noise of birds and
the rustle of wind in the sugar cane fills the gap left by nonexistent
or minimal dialogue.
The monk has come to the temple to restore
ancient frescoes depicting the consequences of worldly attachments,
full of sexualized female figures and the chaos left in their wake.
While concentrating on his pigments, the monk hears the light tinkle of
a woman's bangles and discovers a hairpin, which he immediately
fetishizes.
Mostly self-confined to rooms in the temple, the monk
fantasizes about a secular alter ego (Nilupa Heenkendaarachchi), whom
he projects as a paramour successfully wooing the owner of the hairpin
(Sanchini Ayendra). Just when he's finished the restoration, the
frescoes are vandalized, forcing the monk to remain in the village to
repair the damage.
Quietly inserted throughout the narrative are
Buddhist concepts of time's insignificance and the supreme value of
life, whether directly stated by an older monk (K.A. Milton Perera) or
signaled through iconic shots of local flora and fauna. Students of
Buddhist thought will undoubtedly recognize multiple references that
are less clearly explained, while others may tire of a slight surfeit
of preciousness. Jayakody continuously contrasts these peaceful images
with pans of the frescoes, depicting a jumbled world of tranquility
disrupted, mirroring the turmoil within the monk's psyche.
Temptation
remains within a very subdued framework -- the monk's big liquid eyes
aren't swayed by some Whore of Babylon but by a modest if coquettish
field worker whose most enticing attribute is the gentle clink of her
bracelets. These scenes encapsulate Jayakody's superb use of sound, the
woman's figure barely necessary to illustrate the temptations ably
represented by the ring of her jewelry.
Though auds will be
divided, few will fail to appreciate Palitha Perera's fine lensing, in
which every color is given its proper value, each object handsomely
contrasted with its surroundings. Composer Nadeeka Guruge understands
the importance of minimal intrusion, symbiotically matching action with
the bare essentials.
Camera (color), Palitha Perera; editor, Ravindra Guruge; music,
Nadeeka Guruge; art director, Sunil Wijerathne; sound (DTS), Kalinga
Gihan Perera; assistant director, Ashoka Athawudahetti. Reviewed at
Cairo Film Festival (competing), Dec. 2, 2006. Running time: 87 MIN.
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