Un filo sottilissimo lega i due personaggi principali di 19(1)(a), la ragazza senza nome e lo scrittore Gauri. Si incontrano solo una volta, per qualche minuto, scambiando un paio di battute generiche. Lui sparisce, lei dimentica. Un tragico evento rinsalda il legame con modalità inaspettate. Un legame maestro/allieva. Inconsapevolmente, Gauri contribuisce al processo di formazione della ragazza. Il film è la rappresentazione pratica di una dichiarazione dello scrittore: la mia vita non conta, contano le mie parole.
19(1)(a) ha un tono riflessivo, raccolto. Procede con lentezza. Segue la protagonista da vicino, nel suo quotidiano. La sceneggiatura è scarna, forse troppo esile per un lungometraggio. Per buona parte, reitera il soggetto. La pellicola trasmette un messaggio importante - la reale minaccia, in India, alla libertà di espressione -, e lo fa senza proclami, raccontandoci la presa di coscienza di una ragazza comune che è prigioniera di una routine non voluta, e che gradualmente si allontana dalla tiepida sicurezza del suo ambiente per esplorare idee nuove e quindi una nuova versione di sé.
È un film particolare, non per tutti, introspettivo. Le relazioni personali sono appena accennate, nel senso che Indhu V.S., regista/sceneggiatrice al suo debutto, ci offre brevi squarci improvvisi che vanno in profondità, e poi passa oltre. I dialoghi sono centellinati, e danno l'impressione di molto non detto. Gli occhi della protagonista osservano il mondo, e noi spettatori in quegli sguardi ne scorgiamo un riflesso. Nithya Menen ha interiorizzato a dovere il suo personaggio, e non sbaglia una virgola. Vijay Sethupathi è convincente in un ruolo dimesso, non istrionico, eppure carismatico.
TRAMA
Lo scrittore Gauri Shankar affida il suo ultimo manoscritto alla copisteria di quartiere, contando di ritirare le copie prima dell'orario di chiusura del negozio. Ma Gauri non torna. Per qualche oscura ragione, la proprietaria della copisteria non riesce a separarsi dal manoscritto. Le parole dello scrittore diventano per lei una guida insostituibile.
RECENSIONI
The Hindu:
'A valiant directorial debut anchored by a poignant Nithya Menen and a charming Vijay Sethupathi. Director Indhu V.S. delivers an engaging coming-of-age story with an important political subtext in her debut Malayalam movie, that explores the freedom of speech and expression. (...) 19(1)(a) is slice-of-life tale of people who choose to, or are forced to, be quiet and obedient about what is happening around them or in their own lives. It is about a person who has a lot to express, yet time and again chose to suppress her feelings, fearing the consequences of stepping out of her daily routine. It is also about those who cannot help but speak out against oppression, at a time when the same can have grave consequences. This tension is very effectively used to create an atmosphere of uneasy calm throughout the movie. (...) This is Nithya’s movie all the way and she holds it all together, even at its weakest points, with a brilliantly understated and internalised performance as a ‘quiet’ person learning how to speak out in her own quiet manner. (...) Indhu, who also wrote the script, keeps it simple for the most part, only faltering occasionally, and towards the end with a slightly-underwhelming reveal. Ironically, 19(1)(a) works best when it chooses to be quiet and leave things unsaid. What’s more important is the willingness to be brave with the stories you choose to tell and the politics you put forward. In that regard, Indhu has certainly arrived'.
Aswin V. N., 29.07.22
Film Companion:
'A deeply personal approach to tell a powerful story. (...) Indhu's cinematic ideas are also strong like the political stand she takes. Apart from the image, she uses sounds too to create deeply disturbing reactions. But it's also the performances of the two leads that make the film special. Nithya Menen doesn't need words to take us deep into her character's mind which is so full of conflicts that she can barely hear herself think, Vijay Sethupathi too gives us one of his finest performances in years. (...) A film about revolution can rarely feel as personal as this. (...) 19(1)(a) (...) understands that whispers can be more impactful than loud speeches'.
Vishal Menon, 30.07.22
Cinema Hindi: ***
Punto di forza: il messaggio (e il coraggio), Nithya Menen e Vijay Sethupathi.
Punto debole: la sceneggiatura smunta (un cortometraggio sarebbe risultato perfetto).
SCHEDA DEL FILM
Cast:
* Nithya Menen - ragazza senza nome, proprietaria di una copisteria
* Vijay Sethupathi - Gauri Shankar, scrittore e attivista
* Indrajith Sukumaran - Anand, editore
* Athulya Ashadam - Fathima, amica della protagonista
Sceneggiatura e regia: Indhu V.S.
Colonna sonora: Govind Vasantha
Fotografia: Manesh Madhavan
Montaggio: Manoj
Lingua: malayalam
Anno: 2022
RASSEGNA STAMPA
* Indhu V.S: I see 19(1)(a) as a coming-of-age story, Sajin Shrijith, Cinema Express, 2 agosto 2022. Intervista concessa da Indhu V.S.:
'I liked the generally contemplative approach you took with the film.
I'm generally a quiet person. I feel that even if I have to contribute to any discussion, I prefer to do it minimally and with a lot of subtlety because I have a minimal approach to life and those around me. So, naturally, that is also reflected in how I wrote the screenplay. Of course, we can't write every movie like that, but when it came to my debut work, I guess it was simply a case of nature taking its course. A lot of things I do in real life have crept into it. (...)
You are right. One doesn't necessarily have to be loud to put across thoughts.
Indeed. It's enough to do it in a toned-down manner. Even though filmmaking is partly a materialistic endeavour, it is, after all, an art form where a group of people come together to create a moment. I believe that it needs a sensible approach. I've seen Nithya say in some places that ours was the best team with she had worked. I think it was because I managed to handpick people whose vibe matched ours. In fact, my director of photography (Manesh Madhavan) is quieter than me. (Laughs) He gets what I'm trying to communicate and acknowledges my directions with succinct replies. Most of our team members are like that.
Was Nithya's character deliberately kept nameless?
Not at all. It happened organically while writing the screenplay, which predominantly tracks that character's emotional journey. There was no place in the script where the character's name is brought up. After a point, I concluded that her name was irrelevant.
Would you have taken a different storytelling approach had the focus been Vijay Sethupathi's character Gauri instead? A relatively louder one, perhaps?
Firstly, I would never imagine a movie with Gauri as the central character. It was not and never will be my intention. It's not my kind of storytelling. I'm more inclined to personally relatable stories. For me, the main characters of 19(1)(a) were this woman and a writer who visited her shop. And they remain strangers throughout the film - that was the only focus. When seeing the film in its totality, the political aspect for me was just an undercurrent. The emotional and subtle storytelling aspects mattered more. It was a solid decision not to focus on Gauri's side more. In most of the discussions about the film I have now, the political emphasis is relatively less. The film's politics are, of course, mine, but I see it more as a coming-of-age drama than anything else. (...)
Any reason why you made Gauri a Tamilian writer?
It was simply to give the story a sense of universality - and what we are discussing is a universal topic. I didn't want it to have a confined quality. It should be accessible for people outside Kerala too.
One of the most notable aspects of Gauri's personality is that he respects others' space regardless of his ideology; he doesn't impose his thoughts on those around him.
Absolutely! When a big subject like freedom of thought is the topic, I was primarily interested in - and always drawn to - its importance when it comes to the personal space of two individuals in conversation. When we are addressing all the problems ailing the world but don't understand the importance of respecting the boundaries of people we know, then what's the point? It should start first with the smallest, simplest things. That's why it was a conscious decision to invest more in detailing Nithya's character than Gauri's. The onus was more on exploring an individual's politics than the other. That's the most immediately affecting one'.
CURIOSITÀ
* L'articolo 19(1)(a) della Costituzione indiana garantisce la libertà di espressione.
* Indhu V.S. si è ispirata alla tragica vicenda di Gauri Lankesh, giornalista di Bangalore assassinata nel 2017 sulla soglia di casa. Gauri combatteva la destra estremista hindu e le discriminazioni castali e di genere.
* Nithya Menen vanta una corposa filmografia nelle industrie cinematografiche malayalam, telugu, tamil e kannada. Ad oggi, un solo titolo hindi: Mission Mangal.
