Comments on: “Forsaken Land” Forsaken

By: Bangkok Bangkok

Bangkok Bangkok — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 03:13:34 +0000

I am sorry that some of you have misinterpreted the filmmaker's intention. Any film in the world is not supposed to be a whole truth for a whole nation. Jean-Luc Godard, the great french filmmaker has once named his film "A Married Woman" and the French Government forced him changing it into THE MARRIED WOMAN.

Vimukhti's film is called THE FORSAKEN LAND and its portrait is not supposed to be all about a specific nation. It can be anywhere in the world which is imperfect.

Focus too much on Sex will miss the point. The filmmaker said on the interview in Bangkok when inquired on the subject of that scene involving the little girl. Lots of paint's bottle were in that scene. Some were spilled on the floor already. Semen wouldn't stay as liquid. Please be kind and take into consideration before insulting anybody Pervert. Pervert men can't make this kind of visual poetry.

By: yanthi

yanthi — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 22:25:43 +0000

And to think, that in my naivete I had not recognised what Batti tastes on the floor of an abandoned building is not seminal fluid. But now that I know its not white paint too but some paint(coming from the bottle near) that Batti licks with her finger…. dont be too stupid to think it’s seminal fluid!!!!ahhh…Sri Lankans….

By: Umair Muhajir

Umair Muhajir — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 17:57:30 +0000

Personally I didn’t think Irreversible was exploitative in the way that “Baise moi” was (though I didn’t much care for either film); I think Bellucci’s rape sequence was so graphically violent– as opposed to the somewhat titillating manner in which many a rape sequence is conceptualized on film, particularly in Hindi cinema– that the message: that the rape was about extreme violence, and not merely a situation “about” sex in some sense, was not lost…

By: ramanan

ramanan — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 17:52:12 +0000

I think I’d need to watch the film again to really comment on whether the sex is there with a purpose or not. I think the first time you watch it, the lack of dialog and and slow pace really make it a challenge to focus on what is going on on-screen. That said, the film seems well thought out. I don’t think anything is there purely for shock.

By: Bong Breaker

Bong Breaker — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 23:22:07 +0000

I haven't seen the film. But I just want to take issue with the view that just because a film has something twisted in it, it means the director is twisted himself (I say himself, because twisted films are invariably made by men!)

I don't know about this movie, maybe it was just in there for shock value. But when I have a big budget, I'm going to fill my movies with violence and I want to make one film with lots of sex too. I don't want everyone thinking I must be a bitter, twisted freak. No matter how accurate that is.

By: DesiDancer

DesiDancer — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 17:17:46 +0000

I think it is pretty impressive he managed to cram as much sex and nudity into a South-Asian film as he did.

I guess that’s my question; is the sex/nudity/vulgar-gross-out-stuff relevant to the point of the movie, or is it just crammed in there for the sake of making aunties gasp? I’m no prude either, but I think “8 year old” and “semen” really are 2 concepts that should not mix… there are laws against that!

By: ramanan

ramanan — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 16:49:25 +0000

I saw the film at the Toronto Film Festival. It is incredibly slow, but for the most part quite good and interesting. I have been getting the occasional inflamed comment from angry singhalese people on my website after writing about seeing the film. I think it is pretty impressive he managed to cram as much sex and nudity into a South-Asian film as he did.

By: Jai Singh

Jai Singh — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 16:36:10 +0000

The more elderly actress in her 30s

I don't think "elderly" is necessarily the right word to use here.....

8 year olds licking semen off the floor, ravishing women against trees?

I am by no means a prude but it sounds like the guy's got a pretty filthy mind. I mean, 8 year olds, for God's sake...

By: DesiDancer

DesiDancer — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 15:15:25 +0000

I wanted to capture this strange atmosphere,Â” the director said

8 year olds licking semen off the floor, ravishing women against trees?

uh, sounds like you definitely captured strange, pal.

By: Gavin

Gavin — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 09:09:16 +0000

Looks to me like this film owes a lot to the French super-noir genre exemplified in such monstrosities as 'Irreversible' & 'Baise Moi'. Euro mondo films at least did not pretend to be Art, but the new French wave celebrates the total collapse of morality without the funniness of Tarantino - extreme exploitation taken to the extreme.

The thing is maybe the French can handle it better, debauchery is after all not only their invention but also their identity. Asian (and other) cultures with their simplicity can only react with shock at such imports.