It’s possible that the people who funded the film Abhisaari, now in select theatres, wanted to get a message across.
The writer/director delivered without falling into the preachy trap. He made a film about imperfect people living their imperfect lives (as the heroine says) the best they could.
For an Adults-Only film about sex work, it was remarkably free of nudity and the titillation associated with that label.
Abhisaari was a window to another world for me, just like the foreign films shown every week by the Film Society at the University of Peradeniya in the 1970s.
The objectives of the StandUp Movement Lanka who produced the film may have been achieved: if they were preaching, it was mostly to the converted at the Premiere.
But it also did what I expect good art to do: make me think afresh about the world and those who live in it. And the actors excelled in giving depth to the characters for the most part.
The standard narrative about poverty driving women into prostitution was implied and not shoved in our faces.
What is foregrounded is the self-confidence and assertiveness of the heroine.
That this struggle gets played out in a poor part of town and in the context of the oldest, yet still problematic, profession adds spice to the presentation.
It gave me, at least, a window to an unfamiliar world. And what was on the other side was entertaining.
The director/writer is especially good in portraying women as nuanced and complex characters. He avoids the all-too-common portrayal of women, especially those belonging to older generations, as prudish and judgmental.
The old lady across the hallway does not approve but still steps in to take care of the child.
He is less successful with the men who come across as unidimensional hypocrites.
In my view, the attempt to drag in the corrupt politician trope was the weakest element. Excising that episode would do no harm to the story and make for a tighter narrative.
The wedding bookends were masterful. I will not say more for fear of spoilers. See the film to find out.
(Prof. Rohan Samarajiva)