News  ·  06 | 08 | 2018

A Journey Named Sri Lanka

Thundenek - Open Doors

Three directors. Three stories. One goal: trying to deal with a painful past in order to build a better present. A filmmaker who needs to clear his conscience through his journey to find a young widow, a teacher dealing with his own personal beliefs about reincarnation, a mother who wants to know the truth about her son. After the tragedy of a Sri-Lankan civil war that lasted over twenty-five years, the wounds need to be healed through tolerance, equality and open minds. This is the message that connects the movie’s three parts, shot with a deep understanding of the human condition and torn psychologies. The realism of the mise en scene is essential for the filmmakers in order to create a common aesthetic through which to deal with the Sri Lankan contemporary situation. The result is a movie endowed with an inner coherence that succeeds in showing the audience that a human connection is the real answer. Mixing intimate drama – the opening scene is visually and psychologically intense – with a few moments of lightness, Asoka Handagama, Vimukthi Jayasundara and Prasanna Vithanage develop an impressive sense of storytelling but also the ability to portray a very personal journey: all the characters and their will to overcome the odds are a clear and moving metaphor for a country still struggling with its past, but at the same time looking forward to a brighter future. Thundenek is a hymn to a future hopefully consisting of peace and equality.

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