This film premiered in Australia at The Sydney Film Festival. It played at midday, a bit of an odd time, and there was about fifty people in the audience. I was on my own, which is the best way to see some stuff. I was able to sit right at the front as well which I love because it is like being in the screen. The combination of the slow panning shots and an eclectic sound track was very hypnotic like a powerful drug and really quite transporting. The film festival theme this year 2010 is Going on a Journey. This was a repeated journey over the same ground, events were reiterated in the future and the past. Not much dialogue, well just enough to keep it mysterious. There were some surprising elements that seemed there to shock but maybe that is just my western-worldness showing itself. It was remarkable how sparse the cast and props were although a lot of action was illustrated by the extraordinary soundtrack. Rebirth is a popular theme in films at the moment. Lovely to see the Sri Lankan version from an idiosyncratic writer/director. Coming back out of the cinema onto the hopelessly touristic Circular Quay was very disorienting after the journey through the grass and lakes.
Review of Ahasin Wetei
