Let her understand

By Harsha Gunasena

This is a view but not a review of the 105 minutes movie ‘Let Her Cry’ – ‘Age Esa Aga’ – by Asoka Handagama and his usage of sexuality in the movie.

I can remember the struggle I had to view the movie ‘This is My Moon’ – ‘Me Mage Sandai’ – directed by Asoka Handagama about 15 years back. The movie was not released as usual to the distribution channel but shown as a stage play at various occasions. Finally I managed to view the film at the French Cultural Centre – Alliance Francaise. 

The fate of his latest movie, ‘Let Her Cry,’ seems to be little better since it was released to the distribution channel for a short period in between two regular films so that a short running period is estimated. Handagama may have his own valid reasons for this but as a filmgoer I expressed my displeasure to him at the lobby of the Regal Theater soon after watching the film show, ‘Let Her Cry’.

The movie ‘Let Her Cry’ was read by different people in different ways. Handagama portrays the gap between the reality and the fantasy of a husband and that of a wife and the inter-relationship and ripple effects of those. He uses sexuality to express this effectively. The synopsis of the movie given in the website of Kolkata International Film Festival is as follows.

“A university Professor appears to be having an affair with a young female student; his behaviour threatening the carefully-established routines of his middle class family. Through their unusual correspondence, the student keeps the professor’s wife informed of the affair and activities. The professor seems torn and confused as he at times denies and then admits to seeing the girl. The wife caught in the middle is not sure what to believe. The young student claims she is willing to die for their love and wants the professor at any cost. 

“As her carefully composed life starts to unravel, the wife makes the ultimate decision: she brings the girl home to live with them. ‘He’ is a man of the post-modern world who cannot be a true lover and must therefore live out the routines of a good, decent and responsible professor and father.”

In day-to-day life from moment to moment we deal not with the real persons but with the images we have of them. Therefore any relationship is not real but a relationship between two images. This image created in the minds of the people blocks the real understanding of the other person which has to be done from moment to moment since nothing is permanent. A so-called good person can be a so-called bad person in the very next moment. In fact good and bad are just relative terms. Hence reading the life of one’s own or of another person is bit of a cumbersome job. It is not as easy as dealing by one image with another. 

The university professor in the movie portrayed by renowned Bengali actor Dhritiman Chatterjee helps a young university student portrayed by Rithika Kodithuwakku, a new talented actress, in financial terms. Later he was forced by her for a love affair. In sub-conscious mind he likes it but in conscious mind he rejects it. The details of this ‘affair’ was reported by the student to the wife of the professor portrayed by Swarna Mallavarachchi, a best in class actress in yesteryear. 

In the synopsis it was mentioned that the professor seemed torn and confused as he at times denied and then admitted to seeing the girl. He denied since he did not have any such affair and he admitted since in fact he visited the girl and in the sub-conscious mind he liked to have an affair with her. 

As a result not only the professor but also the wife seemed torn and confused. The end result was that the wife brought the girl home which was an unusual act and to which the professor objected. The answer of the wife was that if the professor keeps on visiting the girl it was not good for the professor and for the girl as well. What the wife did in reality appeared to be detrimental to her marriage and her sub-conscious was badly in need of the continuance of the marriage. In contrast to this in reality the professor did not have a real affair with the girl although in his sub-conscious mind he was in need of it. He has not put his mental defilement in to practice.

The behaviour of the wife was non-emotional and in understanding of the situation faced quite in contrast to the behaviour of any other ordinary wife. This was depicted in the incident towards the end of the movie where a wife of a politician physically attacked a woman who supposed to have an affair with her husband at a temple premises in front of the monk, the devotees and her husband.

The wife hated the girl and at the same time she was compassionate to her and enjoyed her company. The girl stayed in the home of the professor and left after few days. After she left and soon after the wife and the daughter portrayed by Sandali Ash, left to the temple, the professor was in a fantasy enjoying sex with the girl. He used the scent bottle left by the girl. After arriving from the temple the wife and daughter asked the professor whether the girl came back sensing the smell of the scent. Professor said no, which was the reality. Then in bed sensing the fragrance on his body, the wife asked the professor whether the girl came there. He answered yes, which was the fantasy.

Handagama used sexuality effectively to portray this duality of the mind. Previously in the movie ‘Flying With One Wing’ – ‘Thani Thatuven Piyambanna’ – as well he used sexuality effectively. A girl portrayed as a boy throughout her life and got married as a man. She worked in a garage as a man and one day her workmates discovered that she was a woman. A large group of people were shouting in front of her house. Finally she comes out of the house slowly with her ‘wife’ but fully naked. Protesters disappeared one by one. I was in the audience viewing the movie and had a strong feeling of wanting to leave without watching that scene further. That was the most effective film frame I have ever seen in a movie and the most effective way of using sexuality in a movie – distraction in attraction.

‘Let Her Cry’ is an interesting movie which widens the horizons of the audience rather than providing light entertainment. Therefore if the crowd wants to watch it let them watch.