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A period film of sophistication Aswaesuma 
(The compensation)

by K. S. Sivakumaran

It was no surprise at all if the new Sinhala film with English subtitles - Aswaesuma - has already won two international awards.

It is because the film is a studied cinema in the classical style with a visible sophistication. It is a period piece between 1947 and perhaps a few years later.It recreates the rural milieu of the gem city Ratnapura and around almost 60 years ago. It is not merely the story of poverty, greed, revenge curse and moral emancipation, (I do not want to tell the story like most reviewers do) but also neat presentation in visual terms.

The violence against a natural settings of streams and rocks and the inherent suspense and Pathos are thrilling and brilliantly photographed.

The film is realistic in all aspects. It is not only entertaining cinema but also an exotic presentation of eastern values - or shall we say Sinhala or Thamil values - ?

I have never seen Sangeetha Weerarathne act like this before. She was restrained and at the same time expressive in poignant moments.

Needless to compliment over reactingly the role played by versatile Jackson Anthony.

It was refreshing to see him portraying as an actor on the screen as distinct from acting on the stage. Both players contributed to the movement of the images by their expressions and silence and not being wordy, true to what cinema is all about. Maestro Joe Abeywickrama is a class by himself a proven fact indelible for many decades.

The new member of parliament (congratulations) Ravindra Randeniya and Douglas Ranasinghe, remarkable actors in their own right, and a host of other players, trained and experienced through stage, small screen and film were equally satisfactory in their respective roles.

I must admit that I hadn't seen Channa Desapriya's cinematography before. It was brilliant.If you see this film, you wouldn't say I am exaggerating.

Behind the scene contributors in editing, sound, art direction, costumes, make up etc should not be left out of their productive efforts. Daminda Madawala's role as assistant director is discernible.

The overall praise goes to screenplay writer and director Bennett Rathnayake. I have closely watched Benn for nearly 15 to 20 years as a very serious student of the cinema. He frequents all foreign film shows screened in Colombo.

Unpretentious in nature and a willingness to learn with amiable and charming demeanour (in fact he appears in one scene in this film - did you identify him?) he slowly built up his reputation as a telefilm director (Please forgive me - I dislike the term 'teledrama') and broke into the international film scene.

Already he has shown this film at 7 international film festivals in 2001.

I hope I have not been over-enthusiastic over this film in my review, but it is heartening to view some excellent Sinhala films by new directors during the past five years.

And about our legendary film makers like Dharmasena Pathirajah continue to make some good films.

But are we really understanding them.?

At the crossroads of life


by Aditha Dissanayake

Looking into the eyes of the young man in front of me I feel I am in the presence of the protagonist in Mahagama Sekara's Thungmang Handiya. His eyes too, are black and gentle and are filled with unexplainable emotions, like those of the ones belonging to his factitious counterpart. Both are artists. But the similarity ends there. Sathsara Ilangasinghe is real. And, as if to prove he is so, he begins to speak.

"I feel I have come to a crossroad in my life." (Crossroads, thung mang handiya, the same words. Is this telepathy?) " That's why I decided to call the exhibition "My Life". "Does this mean this is your biography on canvas?" Sathsara shakes his head to say No.

"The paintings show my thoughts and my views about politics, society and culture. Some of them depict scenes from rural life - they reflect what I have observed while growing up in Anuradhapura. I want to show the simple purity found in village life through my work. I have also done some portraits."

Young, vibrant, gentle and bohemian - he wears a string of beads round his neck - looking at Sathsara's paintings it is hard to believe he is still a first year student at the University of Kelaniya.

Like all creators Sathsara too is not hundred per cent satisfied with what he has created. He wants the public to be the judges.

Sathsara wishes you to be there, to pass judgment on over sixty of his paintings when they will be displayed at the National Art Gallery on 12th, 13th and 14th of January 2002, from 10am to 6.30 pm.

Robert Sedgley's 3rd watercolour exhibition in Colombo

Robert Sedgley will be exhibiting recent watercolours, at the Barefoot Gallery, at 704 Galle Road, Colombo 3. from January 6 - February 3. Sedgley is a British artist currently resident in Spain. This is his fifth visit to Sri Lanka and his third exhibition here.

His particular interest is the many varieties of buildings and structures that he has discovered on his travels around the country. His studies, painted on site, of the Dutch period houses in Galle, with their typical verandahs and overhanging tile roofs, capture the fleeting effects of sunlight and incidental detail.

Religious sites and railway stations are also subjects of interest and a number of works depict the Temple of the Tooth shining out of the Green hillside overlooking the lake at Kandy.

Another facet of the artist's work is his "Hill Country Series". Based on a journey through the landscapes of the tea estates above Kandy, these pieces seek to explore the idea of movement and time expressed through veiled colours and variegated mark making. These pieces are suitable vehicle of expression for his idea that making a painting is a journey.

There is no well defined goal in sight; rather it is the action of painting that determines the direction that the work takes. Along the way twists and turns lead to new vistas and unexpected discoveries may be made. The destination is reached, or the journey abandoned when he feels that he has arrived at a satisfactory arrangement of forms and colours.

Robert Sedgley undertook his professional training as an artist at the Birmingham and Exter Colleges of Art. He is also a qualified teacher and has taught various art and craft disciplines, sculpture, and photography. In addition to watercolours he does figure painting in oils and makes ceramic sculptures. The opening times of the exhibition are daily from 11.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m., and from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm date on Sundays.

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