The Journey (2004)
"Sancharram" (original title)

In Sancharram ("The Journey"), Kiran is mortified by her growing lesbian desire for the effervescent Delilah, in an idyllic Indian village where arranged marriage is the only acceptable form of coupling.

Director:

Ligy J. Pullappally

Writer:

Ligy J. Pullappally

Stars:

Suhasini V. Nair, Shrruiti Menon, K.P.A.C. Lalitha

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Suhasini V. Nair	...	Kiran
Shrruiti Menon	...	Delilah
K.P.A.C. Lalitha	...	Amma
Valsala Menon	...	Ammachi
Syam Seethal	...	Rajan
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sruthi

Storyline

It was on an auspicious day--the day of Kiran's arrival from Delhi, and the wedding day of Delilah's eldest brother--that the two girls first meet as children; and though they couldn't be more different, they become fast friends. Delilah (Shrruiti Menon) blossoms into a fiery irreverent beauty with the unconditional love of her grandmother, and despite the controlling eye of her hard-working widowed mother. Kiran (Suhasini V. Nair), as the only child of an intellectual father and aristocratic mother, matures into an introspective young woman. Theirs is an idyllic life of family and community, and most of all an enduring friendship. But when Kiran comes to terms with the fact that her physical attraction to Delilah is something she can no longer suppress, her once idyllic and familiar world is shattered. Mortified by her desire for Delilah, and acknowledging that she herself can never realize the object of her affection, Kiran agrees to help a mutual friend, Rajan, pursue Delilah. ...

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Plot Keywords:

grandmother | village | wedding | lesbian | scandal | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Malayalam

Release Date:

October 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Journey

Filming Locations:

Ottappalam, Kerala, India

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

a little unpretentious gem

I saw this film as Part of London Gay And lesbian Film Festival. I had very few expectations, but was pleasantly surprised and very pleased by the unpretentious story telling.The atmosphere of rural kerala was captured in its beauty without any attempt to overstate it.The actors also played their parts with restraint.The characters were not developed fully and this means we do not get the complexity of their motivation and depth of their lives.The characters appear as one dimensional and only one actor,KPAC Lalitha( as Deliah's Mother)desperately tries to put some flesh into the character.

But then this approach (or it limitation?) gives the film a simplicity and directness which you would not get from a complex approach.

The ending was poor. Like the previous commentator, I believe it should have ended with the butterfly flying away. Unfortunately it ends with the kakkathi's ( fortune teller) irritating laughter.In fact The Kakkathi was the only person who was miscast.And to end the film with her shot was a poor choice.

I do not know anything about the director, but would like to congratulate her on delivering an unpretentious first film which was beautiful.It really should have come in the main stream rather than the current lesbian label.