FICUNAM 2021: THE PERSEVERENT JOURNEY OF SOMI
Within a community of deserters from the Naxalite movement in India, the film collective NoCut, made up of directors Arya Rothe, Cristina Hanes and Isabella Rinaldi, follow the day-to-day life of Somi's family, a former guerrilla woman with great ambitions dreams for her people who, tired of fighting against a government that was not willing to give in, decided with her husband to abandon the group in which they once fought side by side for the rights of their nation.
In this documentary that is part of the International Competition section of the UNAM International Film Festival (FICUNAM), the virtual audience for the first time witnesses how the life decisions that human beings make as young people can affect -or benefit in the best of the scenarios - their integrity as people within a community and of course that of future generations.
Although the film focuses mainly on capturing Somi's reflections on her past in the guerrillas, it also contains moments with family and friends where it is revealed how dangerous it is to return to their respective communities to recover such vital identity papers in India as the caste certificate.
They are sure that as soon as they go they will be recognized and captured by the Naxalites to torture them and make them pay for the betrayal of the movement. Despite this, they are also aware of how important this document is within the society in which they now live, since in the village school it is the only paper they accept to enroll boys and girls in basic education.
As can be seen, A Rifle and a Bag tells the story of a family that moves against the current, no longer ideologically or at least not openly, but by demanding things such as education and decent work in a society that marginalizes them, leaving them in a social limbo where they have to find a way to obtain the same treatment as the rest.
This problem easily resonates in Latin America in sectors of the population far from large cities and of course in indigenous communities where most of the time their members do not have official papers that endorse them as citizens of the country, which limits their access to basic services such as health, education and better job opportunities.
The story of Somi and her family is one of many that are lived in India and in the world, but the strength and persistence that characterizes the protagonist of this documentary reminds the audience how important it is to fight to the last consequences for what that really matters even if it doesn't touch them firsthand. In this case, it’s to offer younger generations the opportunity to study and prepare to help change the reality in which their mothers and fathers grew up.
Review by Jessica Loher
Published in Girls at Films, Mexic
The original version in Spanish can be found here.