Sharasôju (2003)

English title: Shara

*mild spoilers*
The plot is structured in two segments, occurring a few years apart. The first segment shows the events which led to the disappearance of a child while he was playing with his twin brother. The second segment occurs a few years later, when the remaining child is an adolescent. The plot chronicles the life of that boy's family during a small period of time. His mother is pregnant. They learn that their missing child is dead. There is an upcoming festival, the Basara, for which everyone is preparing. There is another family to which they are close friends consisting of a woman and an adolescent girl who, it is revealed, is not her biological daughter, but rather her niece. The festival, which consists in street dances, takes place. It all culminates with the boy's mother giving birth to another boy.
*end of spoilers*

It is hard for me to point out a single positive aspect of this film. Everything is filmed in an extremely elongated manner, and the little there is of plot is presented without any details, explanations, or follow-up. The acting is nothing remarkable, though this is hardly the actors' fault, since there is very little dramatic material in the movie. Anyway, it seems to have met with an overall positive reception, so I guess it is I who do not have the necessary spiritual maturity to profit from the movie. For what it is worth, the title refers to a tree whose scientific name is Shorea robusta.

Rating: 17