FIRE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
Newlywed Sita has her dreams, and, modest though they may be, she doesn't seem likely to fulfill them. Trapped in a loveless, arranged marriage in which her husband keeps only his mistress's picture in his wallet, she sees little hope for happiness.
Sita tells her new sister-in-law Radha of her wish of someday seeing the ocean. Radha, stuck in a 13-year-old marriage with her husband who took a vow of celibacy when she proved infertile, tells Sita wistfully, "I wanted to see the ocean once, but..." And her voice trails off into a dream-like state until she interrupts herself to discuss more mundane subjects.
FIRE, director Deepa Mehta's film of Indian middle-class passions and constraints, stars the lovely actresses Nandita Das as Sita and Shabana Azmi as Radha. Their simplistic tale of woe will elicit your compassion, but the thin story wanes by the second half, leaving little to remember except for A.R. Rehman's mystical Indian music and Aradhana Seth's magical, urban sets of neon-lit storefronts.
Sita's husband Jatin, played debonairly but coldly by Jaaved Jaaffery, wishes the arranged marriage had never happened. He has a Chinese mistress with whom he spends most of his evenings and his money.
Sita and Jatin live with Jatin's brother Ashok (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), his wife Radha, and their aged mother Biji (Kushal Rekhi), who after a major stroke does "no talking but much listening." In the most shocking scene in the film, their servant Mundu (Ranjit Chowdhry) has solo sex within a few yards of Biji, treating her like a piece of furniture. Actually, all of the men in the story ignore the women unless they want something like their next meal. And while Sita fasts in a religious ceremony to give her husband long life, her husband wiles away the evening eating delicacies at an expensive restaurant with his mistress.
Eventually, the women turn to each other's arms as their only hope of solace. ("There is no word in our language to describe what we are and what we feel for each other," Radha tells Sita.) Their lesbian affair is filmed by cinematographer Giles Nuttgens in a beautiful haze. In contrast, the film's heterosexual liaisons are made to look harsh and brutal, which in this story they are.
Although the acting is pleasant enough, the script by the director suffers from a paucity of ideas. His characters are handsomely outlined but never adequately filled in.
After a strange ending with an ambiguous and confusing message, the ending credits roll. The lasting impression of the film is not of people but of images.
FIRE runs 1:41. It is in English and is not rated but would be R for sex, brief nudity, and mature themes. It would be acceptable for teenagers only if they are older and mature. Although it is a handsome film, there is not enough compelling content for me to be to be able to recommend it. I give it **.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: September 29, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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