A PECK ON THE CHEEK, 2002, India, 123 min.
Language(s): Tamil (Subtitled)
Genre: Drama
Release Data: February, 2007 (Canada Only)
Selected Recognitions: In spirit for Freedom Award for Best Feature, Jerusalem, 2003; Best Feature Film, Los Angeles Indian Film Awards, 2003; Silver Lotus for Best Regional film (Tamil), Best Editing, Lyrics, Music and Sound, National Film Awards, India, 2003
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Director(s): Mani Rathnam (or Ratnam)
What It's About: The story of Amudha, an adored and precocious little girl who lives a happy life with her middle-class Indian parents. Her father is a famous author and her mother is a well-known Indian newscaster. Amudha may be the bright star of her family but she is also a bit of a troublesome prankster and a know-it-all at school. The film opens on the dawn of her ninth birday when she dreams of presents and being the center of attention – even more than usual. However, her parents seem troubled and indeed it turns out they have had a longstanding pact to inform her that she was adopted on the day she turns nine. Amudha is at the age when her natural curiosity about life is at its peak and this throws her world into turmoil. Shocked and disbelieving, she wants to find her real parents. It turns out that her adopted family rescued her with the blessings of her biological family who were Tamils seeking to escape the civil war in Sri Lanka. The circumstances of the search unfold so that the whole family ends up travelling to that war-torn country and the personal, intimate focus of the first part of the film is transformed into the much larger canvas of civil war.
What to Look For: Indian films are meant to entertain a vast public and they do this by employing the genre conventions a traditional audience expects. This film is no exception using the magic of song and dance to tell us things about the characters impossible to reveal with dialogue. The exuberant musical interludes are used to indicate desires that might otherwise be censored, and to provide a third-party commentary on what's happening. In this case, they are the best that a big budget can buy and provide a feast of colour and rhythm for the senses to rest in while the story unfolds. Lush cinematography and panoramic camerawork compliment the work of Keerthana, the spirited child actress who plays Amudha.
Why It Matters: Director Mani Ratnam is known for his intricate studies of the human condition that unfold from personal intimate stories into vast panoramic epics and this film is not exception. It’s a story at once poignant and explosive that showcases for Tamil director’s ability to bridge the gap between serious "art" and popular "commercial" entertainment, between small, personal stories and issues of great social and political importance. Amudha's situation is quite common around the world and the universality of the themes of adoption and war should strike a chord for many viewers. It may not be a genre of cinema with which you are family but we highly recommended it both as a musical entertainment and as an exploration of what civil war does to a people and a country. And it's not often you can see both in one film!
Source(s): Available on all-region dvd from USA Indian film specialists www.nehaflix.com or from UK distributors Ayngaran (original Tamil films from original copyright holders): e-sales.ac/ayngaran (Tip: Pick "films on dvd" at left and then search alphabetically by the Indian name of the film: Kannathil Muthamittal)