Earth

I'm deeply conflicted. On one side, this film is important because it shows what happened when Britain left the subcontinent, dividing its peoples up into various countries (i.e., India, Pakistan). How strange it was for people who lived peaceably with their neighbors -- whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Parsee -- to suddenly be confronted with such rage and terror. It's something Deepa Mehta conveys with both emotion and restraint, and it's chilling. On the other side, I realize that the Indian peoples were not necessarily so brotherly to begin with, and that what is portrayed in the film -- a band of friends of mixed faiths struggling to understand and deal with the situation -- was something unique. So, in some sense, this isn't a true story of Mehta's land. However, the ending is so shocking that I gasped aloud (even though in retrospect I suppose I could have seen it coming). And this is pulled off by none other than the great Aamir Khan, whom I've lauded several times before. Be skeptical while watching, but don't discount it completely. If nothing else, the film provides a glimpse into the why of friction and tension that exists in that area today.

year: 1988
length: 110 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150433/combined