During the latest years, we have seen a number of very interesting films from Bhutan, with “Lunana”, “Hema Hema” and “Honeygiver Among the Dogs” being the most renowned. As such, delving a bit deeper into the cinema of the country does sound like a very interesting endeavor, with Beskop Tshechu Festival offering a great opportunity through a selection of local short films. First in order, 20-minute “Silent Walls”
“Silent Walls” is screening at Beskop Tshechu
Deki is a deaf girl living in Punakha, in rural Bhutan, along with her father, Karma, and younger brother, since her mother has passed. Karma takes care of her but cannot really understand her, and things become much worse when she menstruates for the first time. Following the advice of a woman running a shop where he shamefully buys sanitary pads for her, who mentions that he should be wary of men trying to get advantage of her situation, Karma locks Deki at home during his absence. Expectedly, the young girl's life begins looking like imprisonment.
Suraj Bhattarai implements the story of his film in order to make two rather pointed comments. The first deals with the issues a girl can face when stripped of a motherly influence in her family, with the way Deki is experiencing the changes in her life, essentially on her own, highlighting this remark in the most eloquent fashion. The fact that she is deaf definitely worsens her situation, but her incapacity is definitely not presented as the issue here.
The second is regarding life in rural Bhutan, which seems to be dominated by gossip and perhaps superstition, as revealed by the words of the woman and Karma's reaction. One could say that, for this part, Bhattarai drew inspiration from some actual cases of kidnappings taking place in the country, but his approach points more towards what we described, with the father's extreme reaction also moving in the same direction.
That Deki ends up as the one paying the consequences of both the aforementioned issues is the main source of drama here, which also benefits the most by Pema Zangmo's performance in the role, with the girl being excellent in the way she presents her shock for the change in her father's behavior and her longing after being forced to stay in the house.
Arun Bhattarai's cinematography captures both the aforementioned and the impressive setting with artistry, with the long shots of the green in the area definitely staying on mind. There is also a visual flair, with the upside shot in the beginning and the subsequent cut, although the overall visual approach here points more towards the documentary.
“Silent Walls” is an accomplished short that shows that Bhattarai has an eye for composition and that he can make his comments eloquently even through the short film format.
