THE TERRORIST A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
19-year-old Malli, an intelligent, dark haired beauty, should have her thoughts fixed on her bright future ahead. Instead, they are filled with horrific flashbacks and contemplation of her upcoming martyrdom.
Santosh Sivan's brilliant first film, THE TERRORIST, was released in India under the less judgmental title of MALLI. The point of the movie is to get behind the mind and conscience of an individual willing to die for a cause. The story carefully avoids telling us the cause for which Malli fights. We know that her brother died for it, but, we have no idea if the government against which she struggles is left or right wing or anything at all about it other than it is responsible for atrocities.
When we meet Malli, she is executing a traitor. Tied up to a tree, he watches in horror as a masked assassin points a gun at his throat and pulls the trigger, splattering his blood all over her mask. As she uncovers her face, we see an innocent looking young woman who looks like she would be just as comfortable hanging out at the mall with her friends as killing someone. Played as a mesmerizing enigma by Ayesha Dharkar, Malli is someone about whom you know everything and nothing.
The director's background is as a cinematographer, and he lens this picture to stunning effect. Malli's round face with its silver-dollar-sized eyes fills frame after frame until you feel that her image might break the edges of the celluloid. Her wide eyes hypnotize you with their intensity.
After she kills the traitor, the director cuts to an innocent scene by the river as one of her girlfriends combs through her hair, proclaiming that, if she were a man, she would marry Malli.
Water, a universal symbol of purity, turns out to be the movie's most important supporting character. Whether a torrential downpour or the gentle water from a shower, the water is always symbolic. As Malli relaxes in an outdoor shower, her mind drifts to the key events, usually tragic ones, of her brief life. The surprise of the movie is that, with its lush scenes of nature, it is more often sweetly touching than frighteningly dramatic. The director finds beauty everywhere and at the most unlikely times.
After the river scene, we switch to Malli participating in an open gun battle in something approximating more traditional warfare. Soon after that she wins the competition to sacrifice herself. Their unseen leader needs a girl to present a garland to a VIP. After placing the garland around his neck, the girl is to push a button which will detonate the plastic explosive around her waist, killing everyone nearby.
The competition is keen. One girl admits to hesitation on her last mission because she would have had to kill a child. The girl promises not to let such things slow her down again. Pleased with his choice of Malli, the leader tells her, "You're supreme -- a thinking bomb."
Malli isn't what we've come to expect in our depiction of zealots. She is determined to do whatever it takes, and yet she possesses an amazing tenderness for such a hardened killer. As she stares directly into your eyes, you feel her saying something to you, but her precise message to you remains as elusive as the politics to which she has dedicated her life.
The director coaxes incredible performances out of even the minor characters. One particularly memorable one, a lad of perhaps 11, Lotus (Vishwas), serves as Malli's guide through a mine-infested forest. Lotus is the only surviving member after the massacre of his village. Not surprising, he is troubled by nightmares. One minute, he's a brave soldier for the cause, and the next he's a whimpering little boy. He has had to grow up fast, leaving emotional growth scars all over his lithe body.
The director's gift for cinematography makes the picture mesmerizing. Among the other memorable images are the times he keeps the camera in shallow focus as something important happens in the background. This technique is used to maximum effect as Malli's face fills the frame while in the background bouncing lights come toward her. These colorful lights slowly transform into a very blurry image of the VIP.
What will go through her mind in those last few seconds of her life (and of the VIP's)? Will her indefatigable courage fail her in her moment of supreme sacrifice? And what will be the result of her action?
These are all intriguing questions. But, the journey up to the assassination is the reward in this unusual, fascinating and brilliant picture by Santosh Sivan. The film creates instant excitement for the director's next project.
THE TERRORIST runs 1:35. The film is in Tamil with English subtitles. It is not rated but would be R for violence and would be fine for older teenagers.
The film is playing now in limited released in the United States. In the Silicon Valley, it is currently showing at the Camera 3 for what will probably be a very brief run.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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