Many Indian films are rooted in deep social problems, even though many times they are cloaked in seemingly light-hearted song and dance shells. And this "Dark Wind", which was shortlisted for the "Temple of Heaven Award" in the main competition unit of the North Film Festival, has shed a relaxed shell and replaced it with a serious narrative.
It focuses on the arid land and ordinary farmers in a village in India, reflecting India's social and climatic problems in the most rustic way.
Last year, the film won the Special Jury Award at the National Film Awards of India (India's Oscars).
The director of Dark Winds is Nila Madha Panda. The themes of Panda's films mostly come from his concern for society and the life around him. Climate change, child labour, education, AIDS, health, water issues and gender equality are all themes in his films. In 2011, he directed his first feature film, I Am Karam, which won 32 international awards and a national award.
Dark Winds tells the story of a village called MCA in the Indian state of Rajasthan. MCA was once known for its farming. Today, however, people living in MCA have forgotten the smell of rain falling on the soil. The lack of precipitation has created poverty among farmers, who choose to borrow money from banks but are in a debt crisis. The blind father, Hedu, found that his son was threatened by the same pressure.
Bank agent Gunu Babu came to the village to collect money, and he was known as the "God of Death" because after his debt collection, there were always farmers who would not be able to withstand the pressure and commit suicide. Gunu Babu seems to be a vicious villain, but his own family faces the same problem. His family is in a coastal village, vulnerable to hurricanes and floods, and he wants his family to move out of there as soon as possible.
The old man went to see the bank agent and wanted to ask him to forgive his son's debts. The two reached some sort of consensus and forged a bizarre partnership.
Through the contract between the bank manager and the blind old man, the film tells the sad story of two families who face a real problem of social poverty.
There are no bright tones, the yellow soil is all arid as far as the eye can see, and you can feel the sand and dust raised by the wind across the screen, and the stickiness of sweat under the hot sun. The director recreates a real Indian village with the lens. This authenticity also makes the film more impressive.
The director explicitly pointed out the causes of poverty and suffering, namely climate change. As the film begins: "Climate change is not a future issue, but affects each of us right now." "One family endured drought while another suffered flooding from hurricanes. The source of their tragedy is a natural disaster. Natural disasters like this have devastated agriculture, plunged people into hunger and poverty, and claimed people's lives. This is what the director expressed in this film, and it is also a problem faced by the whole Indian society.
This reality is also reflected in the technical aspects of the film, which makes extensive use of long shots and natural light, which makes the emotions in each shot deeper and longer. The use of sound is also the same, and the collection of natural sounds such as birdsong and cicadas makes the picture three-dimensionally presented in front of people.
The soundtrack uses the ud, the Posita and the ukulele. Each note seems to come from the other side of the distant mountain, adding a sense of sadness and helplessness to the film.
It is hoped that this film, which has won the "Indian Oscar", will also win at the Beijing International Film Festival.