WIDOW OF SILENCE Film Review – A Woman Stuck in Between

Posted on by Ryan Davis

An older woman sits alone in a chair by a window. Two arms reach around to encircle her chest with ribbons, tying her back to the seat. She is then left alone to gaze out the brightly lit window.

This odd opening scene of the new film WIDOW OF SILENCE is soon explained. A younger woman, Aasia, is preparing her aging mother-in-law to be left alone for the day while she goes to work, since her daughter is at school and no one can be home to care for her. Yet, as the film progresses, this scene gains symbolism as viewers being to understand that Aasia is also tied down in her own way, left to gaze out at the world with her hands figuratively tied.

Such is the life of the half-widows of Kashmir, women whose husbands have disappeared, most taken by force by an unknown enemy—it’s never clear if it’s the government or so-called terrorists that are responsible. These women are left in a legal limbo, neither benefiting from the support of a working husband, nor from the government stipend bestowed upon widows.

They are also in emotional limbo. Aasia still loves her husband and believes he could be alive, which complicates her desire to move on. Not to mention that she, and her fellow single-mother friend and coworker, are fully capable of living independently, if the government would only let them own property, make a living, and gain some peace of mind.

WIDOWS OF SILENCE ALSO HAS DARK COMEDY ELEMENTS

Though full of fist-clenching frustration and injustice, WIDOWS has an undercurrent of dark, deadpan comedy, reminiscent of the work of Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu. Consider Aasia’s expression as she is transported back and forth, and back and forth again, along the winding roads of her Kashmiri valley, ignoring the unceasingly upbeat ramblings of her oblivious driver. There is also an unbeatable twist ending, in this writer’s view, which provides a grim moment of satisfaction for both viewers and the embattled Aasia.

 

Though the careful pace will be too slow for some viewers, WIDOW OF SILENCE will appeal to audiences eager to understand a world foreign to them.  This world is is one populated by empathetic woman like Aasia whose strength of will drives them to get up each day in hopes of a better life, despite all the barriers society has tied to them.

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For more information on the film and where and how to see it visit the Widows of Silence webpage.

WIDOW OF SILENCE (2018)

Writer/Director:  Praveen Morchhale

Cast: Shilpi Marwaha, Ajay Chourey, Noorjahan Mohmmad Younus, Bilal Ahmad, Zaba Banoo, Habibulla

Producer: Praveen Morchhale

Ryan Davis

About the Author: Ryan Davis

Ryan Davis (@indieartsvoice) is a film publicist and communications professional with over ten years experience in the film industry and arts marketing. She is co-founder and Principal at Smarthouse Creative. Named by Media Inc. as one of Washington State's most influential women in film, TV, and media, Ryan has worked with outlets ranging from CNN and The New York Times, to community newspapers and local radio. She has worked in almost every aspect of the film business--from production and festivals to distribution, exhibition and sales.

Ryan worked for Arab Film Distribution/Typecast Films where she was part of the production and release of the Academy Award-nominated Iraq in Fragments. She has worked for a variety of nonprofit arts groups and organizations, including heading the marketing departments for Northwest Film Forum and Northwest Folklife, and was the assistant director of Couch Fest Films from 2010-2014. Ryan was on the jury for the International Documentary Challenge for 2012-3, and a juror for the 2015 Seattle Shorts Festival. Ryan currently sits on the board of The Grand Cinema in Tacoma, WA.

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