Trishna

Michael Winterbottom is a ver strange man. He puts out a film almost every year, and if you look at a list of films that he's directed, you'll see he pretty much does whatever the hell he wants, with films like Genova and A Mighty Heart next to 24 Hour Party People and 9 Songs. So, where does Trishna come into all this? Well, it is Winterbottom's third adaptation of a Thomas Hardy novel, the other two being Jude (based on "Jude the Obscure") and The Claim (based on "The Mayor of Casterbridge"). Trishna  is based on Hardy's nest known work, "Tess of the D'Ubervilles", and it's set in India, the one country that is probably the complete opposite of the howling moors where "Tess" was set. But I'm not going to talk about this film in terms of adaptation, (mainly because I haven't actually read the book. The thing about moors I mentioned a sentence ago could be completely wrong.) but it's always better to view films as their own thing and not to compare it to whatever it may have been based on. Something which I usually find impossible to do.


If you've read the book, then I'm guessing you know the main plot. And if you've heard anything about the film, then you probably already the major change between book and film. Two of teh characters are merged into one, which highlights Hardy's message in the book that the two characters were merely two different sides of one man. That is the only time I will talk about it in this review. As I said, I'm looking at the film as a film, rather than an adaptation. Anyway, in a nutshell, the story revolves around the quiet Indian girl Trishna (Freida Pinto) after she meets the English raised Jay (Riz Ahmed), who gets her a job at one of his fathers hotels after Trishna's father crashes his van. Trishna and Jay grow closer together, and eventually have sex (whether consensual or not is not explicitly told) which scares Trishna and causes her to run away. When she discovers she is pregnant, her family gets her an abortion and sends her off to her uncles factory, but Jay finds her and takes her Mumbai. I won't say what happens next, but for the rest of the movie we follow Trishna and Jay's twisted romance that ends very suddenly and tragically.

First off, the cinematography is beautiful. Set in one of the more rural areas of India, this is different from other movies set in India as a lot of the big tourist places that you would normally find in a film like this. Even in Mumbai, we are mainly shown the apartment where Jay and Trichna live, or the slums that are literally right next to the skyscraper they live in. The most beautiful places are the hotels that Jay's family owns. Not that there aren't any big temples or beautiful beaches. The first couple of scenes, in which we are introduced to Jay and his friends, has them go to a temple. But it's almost as if Winterbottom was getting all that cliched sight-seeing out of the way so that he could better focus on the story. But it still looks amazing, and shows a different side of India that some people may never have seen. The music is also very good. It's very atmospheric and minimal, but I found myself listening to it more than I was to the story.

And that's sort of the problem with the film. There are parts where my attention just wasn't fully with it. The dialogue is minimal, and is more about what's not said between the two mains as opposed to what is said. But there isn't enough chemistry between them to pull it off completely successfully. Not that there is a lack of chemistry, you can clearly see that Trishna and Jay are into each other, but... OK, if I talk about the acting then I can better explain the main problem. The dialogue is completely improvised throughout the film and Freida Pinto does an excellent job at being passive and subservient. She has enough expression in her face to make it known what is going on in her mind. But Riz Ahmed is a little wooden. All his lines feel stilted, and he doesn't come across as charming or attractive in any way possible. Especially after his very sudden change from sensitive and caring to cruel and sadistic. This turn comes out of no where, with no real reason for it. We don't get any development until he becomes a bastard. And yet through all that Trishna stays with him.

And this brings me nicely to Trishna's character. God, did this character make me mad! I was almost yelling at the screen for her to leave Jay. She is the embodiment of what an Indian woman should be, quiet, submissive and eager to please the man she's with. I'm not sure if Winterbottom wanted to make a comment on Indian traditions and gender roles, but he does. The men in this film are the bosses, they rule over their families, and while they don't treat the women they live with badly (except for Jay), they certainly don't treat them equally. Trishna finally does stand up for herself (in a manner of speaking) it's too late for anything to be done. Even when Jay leaves her for a while, she waits patiently for him to return or for some other man to take care of her. Do you see why she makes me mad? Never the less, she does evoke sympathy, and is truly a tragic heroine who actually does make all the decisions in her life and follows through with them, however idiotic they seem.

There's a lot of cage-like imagery and symbolism in this film. There is actually a massive bird menagerie and guess who has to look after the birds? Yep, Trishna. A lot of the scenes have Trishna looking out of windows with bars across them, and her character does seem like a little bird at times. So, there is an emphasis on freedom and escape. Apart from that, there aren't really any big thematic symbols in this film. Not that you can't study it and the characters and come up with plausible backstories for each of them. Like Shame, we can't pinpoint exactly what happened to some of the characters, especially Jay. Jay seems to be caught between two cultures, and he is being forced into his fathers business against his will, so that may be where some if his motivation comes from. But his character is very shady, and just isn't that well acted. But the film does have a good balance between telling you things about the character, and showing you hints about their lives before the events in the film.

So, final thoughts? There is enough here to like. This is one of the only films this year I've seen where I've had to complain about the acting rather than the story, ot the way it's shot or put together. You can difinitely see it's a Michael Winterbottom film, he has a disinctive style where he chops and cuts rapidly during scenes that stay on one shot. Freida Pinto is spectacular in this and the scenery in amazing. If you're a fan of "Tess of the D'Ubervilles", you may enjoy. I know some people who have read the book and did enjoy going to see this, and it stands very well on it's own as well. I think Michaels Winterbottom is one of the most interesting directors around at the moment, so check out some of his other films. Maybe not 9 Songs (which is infamous for being the first mainstream film to have a man physically cum on camera, and it isn't porn) but 24 Hour Party People and Tristram Shandy: a Cock and Bull Story are definitely worth the watch.



Next week, a film about sex workers. Oh joy.