God’s Own Hell

It’s an unfair comparison really,but not altogether an unwarranted one. Pierce invites it with his repeated reference to the state’s unique history an his contrived take on Kerala’s socio-political realities.

“The intention of the film was to create a drama narrative from documentary elements in order to portray and reflect upon the socio-political scene in Fort Cochin around the 60th anniversary of India’s independence,” says Pierce who studied film studies in University of Warwick (UK).

Pierce states that he wanted to apply the “apply technical conventions of popular cinema to the everyday reality of life in Cochin.” This intention translates into some unintentionally funny sequences—a French actress on her way to an audition (for a Malayalam film) skids into a drain,a nagging British tourists is left stranded in the middle of the backwaters and a runaway European scamster ends up taking refuge in an ashram. Meanwhile,a messiah-like environmentalist talks about the horrors of global warming,a pretty Malayali receptionist of a five-star hotels considers the pros and cons of arranged marriage (and the runaway scamster advises her on it) and crumbling old English lady pieces together her father’s history (who she says was brought up in Kerala).

This is what Pierce calls an “exploration of everyday life in Cochin”. Unfortunately,they don’t ring true Even if one were to suspend disbelief. A rare achievement indeed,considering the fact that all the actors,bar one,were playing themselves in the film.

One Day in Cochin will be screened at Nandan II (entry free) from today