SGIFF2015: Review – The Fourth Direction1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn the history books during the film’s period of reference, the road to the famed golden temple at Amritsar was treacherous and ill-fated. In the film “˜The Fourth Direction’, the journey to Amritsar as taken by a few men, both physical and mental, also proved to be uncertain, difficult and particularly wayward. This is a film that takes several steps off the conventional beaten narrative track, breaking some rules in storytelling, edging on our curiosity and sense of adventure at some points and making us scratch our heads at most other points.
“˜The Fourth Direction’ aims to explore the climate of tension between the Sikh militants and the Indian government during the period of Operation Blue Star in 1984. Perhaps this film will give new meaning to the word obtuse. The film meditates on a few simple encounters hoping to provide enough colour to complete its portrait of the troubled times. It follows the trail of two men, Jugal and Raj, who are trying to hop on to the last train that will take them to Amritsar. They managed to nudge their way onto the last carriage, only to find it filled with others equally desperate as them. The second set of encounters manifests itself through the memory of Jugal. Centred around a Sikh family whom Jugal stumbles upon by chance, it recounts their experience trying to shelter a Sikh militant friend from the Indian military and their dilemma with a dog that refused to stop barking.
via: SINdie
Image Credit: Gurvinder Singh/ SGIFF
