Out of all the films we have viewed so far, Mother India and especially Fire, have captured my interest the most. Not that I believe these two films are more significant than the films we have watched about war or extreme poverty, but because the topic of women empowerment is intriguing. Reading about Mother India was interesting in that it reflected more on the "positive" side of the women's empowerment movement. I obviously felt a sense of sympathy and pride that the main character married for love instead of someone chosen for her. Granted, I felt those things because that was what the author intended you to feel. There is something hard to not like about a heroine defying society, making money, and supporting her family. However, I did think this story line was exaggerated and a bit unrealistic.
On the other hand, I really did love the movie Fire, despite maybe some of the acting. I found it so interesting because I have never been exposed to material like that in a film before. Rarely or never, do we get to see a story of forbidden homosexual love in an Indian culture. The passion between the characters was real, and I appreciate chemistry between any relationship in a movie, platonic or romantic. The struggle of having to hide who you really are because of society is something that is more relatable to American culture rather than war destroying your home. People face shame and abandonment for identifying with who they really feel they are every single day. It was interesting to see homsexuality in an Indian culture, rather than a more accepting American culture. When it came to male dominance in this film, I was not surprised at the fact that the two main characters chose to conceal their affair. In Indian society, you are forced to please your husband and your rights as a woman are pretty much nonexistent. The fact that both women were in fact not submissive to their husbands, was a big step for women living in a male dominated world, unsatisfied in their marriages. Even if they weren't completely defiant, it was still something to be said of an empowerment forming that could eventually spread to other women looking for happiness and equality.
I agree, it is very rare that we see a film that advocates women empowerment so clearly. I think both films did a good job of showing this, although I too like Fire a lot more. It was almost uncomfortable watching this film because usually we do not see films about homosexuality because as you said, we are more accepting of it in America. That being said, so many people are victimized because of how they identify themselves. I think seeing this in an Indian culture really gives us a different perspective and it's important to get that.
ReplyDelete