Fire, Earth, Water

Since I'm lucky enough to live in an area with a high Indian population, I only had to travel about 7 miles down the main road to find a theater playing the latest release of Deepa Mehta's Trilogy of the Elements, Water. The movie was moving, but not as moving as I expected --- most likely due to the controversial nature of the film, my guess is that Mehta managed to elminate or mitigate certain scenes and episodes from the movie. Although, my tears did start early on (within the first 10 minutes of the film), I just felt that the third installment in her triloby just didn't carry the vibrancy, excitement, and high drama that Fire and particularly Earth did. But then, can a story with that subject matter (treatment of widows in India) Perhaps, by the time I saw the third film, the nature of her films was no longer a mystery to me: the sudden shake-up in surroundings, the quiet, yet powerful, victories of the soul, the false thought of a happy ending, and the bittersweet drop-off. Just as with Fire and Earth, the viewer leaves wondering, and hoping, that the real ending they never get to see is one of happiness.

From a casting perspective, I agree with the reviews. Sarala's portrayal of Churiya was fantastic. The thought that a child younger than ten, could provide a performance like that, in a language with which she had no prior familiarity, is astounding. I know we will see more of her in upcoming films. And, as mentioned in the reviews, Lisa Ray was indeed the most beautiful widow ever seen. In fact, she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, and her epic story makes your heart crush to pieces as you watch it unfold. It makes you hold your breath during her scenes with the attractive John Abraham, as you know their chemistry can transcend their inability to make tactile contact of any sort. Every minute you watch her, Lisa's character becomes more beautiful.

I'm sure much will be written in the next few months tying together the themes and depictions in the three portions of Mehta's Trilogy. My clear favorite of the three is Earth, mostly due to the exquisite cinematography, the high profile cast (many of whom were oddly absent from Water), and the incredible musical elements. All of the films take the sacred Hindu elements of fire, earth, and water, and weave a story with their infusion, forcing the viewer to question the nature of their belief in faith. And most importantly, each film asks the viewer to decide if the pursuit of truth and the pursuit of faith can be one of the same.

The films of the trilogy do not have to be seen in any particular order, and I recommend those that haven't seen them, to see them all.