Fire

Rating:
Summary: Forbidden Fire
Review: "It was amazing that a film which explores choices, desires and the people who are victims of people who are victims of tradition, would cause such an uproar." -Deepa Mehta, the director of Fire

The beauty of this movie is more in the questions it asks than the erotic relationship between two women who resort to a lesbian relationship due to their husbands finding satisfaction everywhere else besides their marriage bed.

Are all sins equal? Is adultery not seen in the same light by religious people as desiring a person of the same sex? Why are people who desire love in the way these two women do seen as more sinful than those in society who commit adultery? Does God turn his eyes and not see one and see the other?

This movie asks questions that are difficult to answer because all of us possess desire. We all want to be loved, understood and feel the compassion of others. We don't want to live our lives feeling lonely, unloved, rejected sexually. Radha (Shabana Azmi) and Sita (Nandita Das) are forced to choose between a loveless life with their husbands or a caring and compassionate life with one another.

Ashok (Kulbushan Kharbanda) has chosen a life of celibacy. But he is married to Radha. This makes no sense and in her rejection, Radha reaches out to Sita who is newly married to Jatin (Jaaved Jaaferi) who has never let the love of his life out of his sexual domain.

To complicate matters, Mundu (Ranit Chowdhry) is not respectful of his elders and also seeks revenge. He wants to see his brother Ashok shamed because he has been shamed. In the middle of this family, the mother Biji (Kushal Rekhi) is forced to watch all her children's lives go to ruin before her eyes and she cannot speak due to a stroke.

After watching this movie, I understand to some degree why this movie was rejected by certain groups in India. It asks too many unanswerable questions, which might lead to a general frustration. Perhaps the frustration boiled to the surface as a certain realization fell over the audience. That maybe what they want and what they are expected to want is in conflict.

In a country where arranged marriages are still a common practice and woman light themselves on fire to escape marriage, I think this movie might help to awaken a sense of responsibility in men and help women to see they do have choices. In that choice is perhaps their power. Not that they should make a similar choice, but perhaps they should be more willing to ask for what they need, or demand fair treatment from their husbands. Maybe women should say they will only marry a man they love. Then there is always the possibility of divorce later.

There is a somewhat "rude awakening" to the concept of duty throughout this movie. What does it mean to you personally? Would you be willing to rebel against tradition and your religion to gain what you truly love? Sita says that the "concept of duty is overrated." Is it? Does your religion keep you from your desire or does desire keep you from religion? By the end of the movie, I was dizzy with the questions the characters actions ask.

But is there fair treatment in an arranged marriage? Would a "forced" union not breed contempt? And why do people still allow themselves to be forced into marrying someone they don't love? This seems to me to breed a rebellion. How can one defend such an unfair practice? In this situation, our sympathy is naturally for the women involved.

I think many saw this movie and feared that it would cause women to question their own place in society. This movie explores taboo. Men cheating on their wives might be seen as more acceptable than two women finding love in one another's arms. Why?

The relationship of Sita and Radha almost seems more of a metaphor of choice than a promotion of homosexuality. Naming these two characters after two of the most revered goddesses in Hindu mythology may have been going too far and many probably saw this as being disrespectful of religious beliefs.

You do probably have to be fairly open minded to enjoy this movie. For me it was more of a warning in many ways.

1. Think about who you are going to marry in a deep way.
2. Consider that if you do decide to get married, you might feel pain when you want
to be with someone else. Are you willing to endure that pain?
3. Be prepared at that point to be willing to make a decision in favor or against duty.
4. Don't be forced into marriage by anyone. This is your life.

This movie asks eternal questions. Questions about life, love, longing, desire, religion, marriage, duty, divorce, sexuality, acceptance, right, wrong and many others. I felt it was a beautifully filmed movie with a somewhat tragic concept intertwined around burning passion.

It is difficult to live in this physical world without the spiritual beauty of love. You have to be very strong to resist the power of love or to feel alive without desire.

-TheRebeccaReview.com

Rating:
Summary: an amazing movie
Review: i don't know how familiar mr. maltin is with indian film-making, or whether he has ever stepped outside the rather narrow set of film expectations with which we as americans are raised, but to call this a 'ho-hum lesbian drama' indicates a total lack of perception. this movie is an amazing work on so many levels, not only because it challenges an entire social system, but because of the quality of the acting and the sensitivity of the screenplay to the problems faced by everyone in the movie. The men are not simply chauvinists, they're as trapped as the women; and this isn't a 'lesbian movie;' it addresses complex issues surrounding marriage and relationships, and although it is also a love story, it conveys something much deeper about liberty and identity. Azmi and Das do a wonderful job conveying the blossoming relationship, and the actors who play their respective husbands also deserve applause, as does Deepa Mehta for making this film. See it.

Rating:
Summary: An absorbing, believable lesbian love story
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed "Fire" for several reasons. It's a believable love story about two women who live in a culture in which homosexuality is not accepted and choose to be with each other anyway. The characters are genuine, and the glimpse into the cultural struggles they faced was heartmoving. It was not cheesy or cliched, which is refreshing. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: The best movie I have ever seen, a true gem.
Review: I am a teenager that is used to watching over-hyped Hollywood flicks. But one day I took a chance and rented FIRE. I could feel the frustrations of the two women as they lived day to day in loveless marriages. The characters are trying to fulfill roles their culture expects of them. But they are torn between what they want and what they are expected to want. I was moved by the outstanding performances of Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das. It's incredible how the director, Deepa Mehta, was able to weave suck complex social issues into a genuine and sincere film that leaves a lasting impact on anyone fortunate enough to view it. I was surprised to see that the older brother would devote himself to a life of chastity simply because he could not have children of his own. I felt empathy for the younger brother when he was pressured to leave his Chinese girlfriend in order to enter into an arranged marriage with a young Indian woman. There are tragic consequences for the leading female characters as their desires offer them a chance at happiness. I loved every moment in this movie. Hopefully the issues in this movie will be discussed by the many who see it. It's thought provoking and will leave a lasting impression, even for those who oppose the controversial subject matter of lesbianism.

Rating:
Summary: An absorbing, believable lesbian love story
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed "Fire" for several reasons. It's a believable love story about two women who live in a culture in which homosexuality is not accepted and choose to be with each other anyway. The characters are genuine, and the glimpse into the cultural struggles they faced was heartmoving. It was not cheesy or cliched, which is refreshing. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Fire lit up my evening
Review: I thought the filming was wonderful and the cinemotography was beautiful. There was a great balance between the storyline of the two falling in love with each other and the storyline of the caste system in India and repression of female desires by males in their society.

Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 Stars
Review: This film was really quite good, but there were a few things that made this film far from perfect. While the content and message of the film was powerful, I didn't really feel comfortable with the lesbianism that took place between Rhada and Sita. Their physical exchange didn't seem authentic. They seemed to turn to each other because they longed for touch, a touch that might have been satisfied if their husbands had truly cared for them both emotionally and physically. Furthermore, I didn't like how the film seemed to portray lesbianism as the outcome of two women caring for each other. This is not always the case. Female friendship doesn't have an inherent element of lesbianism. In addition, I didn't particularly care for the cinematography. I found it to be a bit static, and unpoetic, whatever that means.

On the other hand, this movie was very powerful due to the idea that women can imagine something different for themselves, despite traditional structures that are oppressive, and despite what some might consider the insidious influences of patriarchy. This is why the film constantly returns to Rhada's attempt to envisage the ocean. So long as she can't imagine the ocean, she can't imagine a situation different for herself. The most powerful scene in this film was when Rhada declared that she "desires to live." Similarly, Sita seems to imagine something different for herself when she dresses in Jhatin's clothes. Wearing his clothes seem to empower her in a way that wearing her sari does not.

While some might tout this end of this film as a triumph for Western values, I really think this film took the approach of Third World feminism, that there are other ways to create a woman friendly situation.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutly Coolness!!
Review: This movie was excellant. The plot was great. It showed alot about how some people deal with being a lesbain in another country. I would recommend it to everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Clarity and depth, but. . .
Review: I bought this DVD because it was on one of those listmania and also I remembered liking "Salaam Bombay" "Home and the World" and "Bandit Queen." But this is really not an Indian movie or a lesbian movie either. A typical Indian movie is like a cheesy Hollywood musical. A Lesbian movie?? Hardly. It isn't about lesbianism because the sister-in-laws were desperate to be loved by someone who's understanding, tender and selfless and they found that in each other without considering that they are about to embark on a lesbian love affair. This is believeable when you see that there is an abyss in their lives that only the other can fill. I think this is more like a sociology film that attempts to show the cultural and moral constraints that are burdened on Indian women and on some level, Indian men. It is a lot to absorb in one film but Deepa Metha did such a great job in keeping the story tight that you never lose interest. It is also clastrophobically filmed in a tight apartment complex, that is both physically and mentally choking. I dropped one star because I think Mehta had a chance to make a stylistic sequence with the two women. Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi are etheral and this fact was not taken advantage of. Other than that, I really like this movie. I do recommend the DVD version because it includes a news footage of a religous cult attacking and smashing a theater in New Delhi showing this film because it did not conform with their dogmatic beliefs. It also includes interviews with the director, the actresses and the cult leader(she's a real Hoot). I think it enhances your appreciation for the movie to learn a little bit about the making of this film and the controversy that it created.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: Simply put this film is powerful! You don't have to be a fan of Bollywood films to enjoy this picture, it is very uncharacteristic of most Hindi films and was actually banned in India. Filled with firey passion, scandel, and intrigue, it is a film centered around 2 women (both emotionally and sexually ignored and stiffled by their husbands) who discover a beautiful though forbidden love between each other. Although the story ends with a bitter sweet tone it is nontheless emotionally electrifying and a must see for ALL movie fans especially those interested in romance, culture, tradition, and namely the cultural and marital restrictions put on Indian women. PS- If you like Fire then I recommend seeing Earth, another excellant Hindi film.