Bonded Parallels

I was expecting a lot from this film, given the intriguing text in the announcement. However, I left the theater disappointed. I got lost in the composition, missing the necessary structuring to get the good intentions across.

Indeed, there are two story lines throughout the film, showing different places, times and cultural backgrounds. So far so good. This offers a nice opportunity to highlight the differences, and to use these as a basis for dramatic developments.

But the two worlds are not kept clearly visually separated from each other. Maybe, when I would see the film a second time, this information could be derived from the main characters who carry the story. Viewing it for the first time, as I did, I saw too many different persons appearing. Some of them were important from begin to end, but a lot only showed up for a short time. Most characters received only a sketchy outline (at best) of their place and purpose.

It takes some time to get a grip on who is important for the total story line. The scene where a pregnant woman is prepared to pull her weight in the domestic work before her, but is not allowed just because she is pregnant, stands out in illustrating where this film is all about. We see that not only a language barrier exists, but an even more insurmountable difference in background, beliefs and education becomes apparent. That clarity came rather late, but explained much of the preceding scenes in hindsight.

All things considered, nothing bad about acting and camera work, and I had no inclination to look at my watch. There are plenty moments where something happens on the screen. But the composition disappoints, and missed the opportunity to get more out of the basically intriguing story.