Mumbai 2009, Day #3: Games For Survival

Perhaps I am trying too hard to connect the movies I watch each day under a common title. But the 'connection' was a little too obvious on the first two days, and was almost so today. Today's movies showed different aspects of human drive to survive: the best film winner at Rome 2008, Jang-e-Taryak (Opium Wars), about two American soldiers stranded in an isolated place with a local Afghan family displaying our inherent animal nature of struggle and survival; Bist (Twenty), an Iranian drama about how the owner's decision to sell his banquet hall is going to make things difficult for his staff; Los Bastardos, an insight into the lives of two Mexican manual labourers; and today's pick - La Pivellina, a sweet Italian film about how a two year-old, lost-and-found baby girl named Asia affects the lives of red-haired circus-worker Patti and those around her. Apart from these, we saw La Tigra, Chaco, a simple, warm love-story set in a small town in Argentina. The post-screening discussion with its directors added value to this honest attempt.

It has been three days. Fifteen movies. I am having hardly five hours of sleep per day. And the day involves traveling for hours and disrupted food habits. When I sleep, I dream about being there and meeting film personalities. I am getting insane. And there are four more days to go!