Friday Night Films

Water (2005) 117 min. Part of the “Elements” trilogy by director Deepa Mehta whose FIRE (1996) was shown last year. In 1938, Gandhi’s party is making inroads in women’s rights. Meanwhile, Chuyia, a young child still living with her parents, although already married, becomes a widow. By tradition, she is exiled to spend the rest of her life in a bare widows’ ashram. The plight of widows under Hindu fundamentalism is shown to be parallel to that of India under British colonialism. PG-13, for mature thematic material. In Hindi and Sanskrit, with subtitles.