I don’t generally review documentaries, but these two need high recommendation.
I tried to avoid watching To kill a Tiger, wasn’t in for anything serious and not definitely about gangrape of a 13 year old. But watched out of respect for the struggle for justice of father/daughter.
Justice inspite of all odd, justice which should serve as a deterrent for people who look at women and even this child-women as nothing but an object of gratification.
The village panchayat like always had a solution, marrying off the girl to one of the rapist- the daughter resists and so does the father and then starts their Herculean journey for justice.
The family faces social pressure,to the level of social boycott but the daughter doesn’t want to give up and the father follows suit.
The most powerful scene is when the girl prepares to go to court to give her testimony.She dresses up wears light makeup and walks like a brave tigress into the court room amidst trails of tears.
Another documentary is American symphony-a love story revolving around creating music. Not only is a great piece of music created but the creative process also helps in healing. Musician Jon Batiste sets out to compose a symphony as he receives five Grammys. However as great things happen in his career,he learns his partner and later wife, author Suleika Jaouad, has a cancer rebound. This documentary is a portrait of two artists struggling to keep love and life going in despair.
Both the documentaries are strong, they have their moments, they also leave the audience wanting to see more. Like more of the silent love the couple conveys to each other, by looking at each other by the comforting caresses or just falling asleep in each other’s arms on the hospital bed.
What is also important is the men in both the documentaries.
A father and a husband who are there for the women in their life-for a daughter dealing with mental harassment and trauma of being violated and a wife who has to deal with a looming death. In the end all come out triumph.