Film

A LETTER OF FIRE (Aksharaya)

5:10 pm
Saturday, November 12
Castro Theatre

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Director: Asoka Handagama
Country/Year: Sri Lanka/France, 2005
Running Time: 136 mins
Language: In Sinhala with English subtitles
Format: 35 mm

Asoka Handagama in Person

A richly cinematic work, A Letter of Fire confirms Sri Lankan helmer Asoka Handagama as a truly modern Asian filmmaker. He boldly mixes Eastern and Western traditions with TV soap opera and experimental theater to create a shocking tapestry of an aristocratic family plagued by Oedipal dramas.

A retired judge and his flamboyant young wife, who is also a famous magistrate, inhabit a cavernous colonial mansion with their 12-year-old son and a maid. One day the son, spoiled and naive, kills a famous prostitute. To spare him the legal consequences, Mom hides him in the humble residence of a security guard at the Museum of Asian Civilizations. The textured lensing, imaginatively composed shots and highly effective museum sets are a pleasure to watch, mixing with sound and music to create abrupt changes of register and irony. (Variety)

Banned in Sri Lanka upon its release in 2005, Handagama’s film is a strident indictment of the collusion of class, politics and justice, and makes no apologies for its aesthetic and political stances. It is our privilege to host the US premiere of this masterpiece!

Festivals: San Sebastian Film Festival; Tokyo International Film Festival