Quesnel Film Club’s second movie in their winter session, Jan. 31 at the Carib Theatre, is The World Before Her, a provocative and insightful portrait of a country in transition, brilliantly capturing the choices and conflicts facing young women in India today.
Canadian director Nisha Pahuja gained access to women and their families living in two very different worlds. Young, beautiful and ambitious, Ankita and Rhui are competing in the Miss India pageant for the chance at a career in the beauty industry – one of the few avenues where contemporary Indian women can find success and empowerment. Winning the coveted title means instant stardom, a potentially lucrative career and freedom from the constraints of patriarchal society. On the polar opposite end of the spectrum from Anikita and Rhui is Durga Vahini, a member of the women’s wing of the Hindu fundamentalist movement, in which young girls undergo physical combat training while learning how to behave as obedient Hindu women. The camp is run by Prachi, a fiery and compelling woman who expresses a unique viewpoint within the debate over contemporary women’s issues. Intertwining these two radically different narratives, Pahuja highlights the tension between traditional and modern perspectives toward women in today’s India and draws unexpected parallels between them in the way these women are regarded and the opportunities that are afforded them at both extremes, depicting each as sources of both oppression and empowerment. The end results is a rivetingly powerful film – devastating, moving and ultimately uplifting.
Showtime for The World Before Her is 6:30 p.m. with $9 regular admission and $7 for seniors. Film club membership is included with admission. For information about the film club or any of the films call 250-747-7422 or 250-747-3979, join the club on Facebook at Quesnel Film Club or visit www.quesnelfilmclub.ca.