Sita

When I first heard that we were watching a movie in class, I was quite intrigued. Prior to class, I had never heard of Sita Sings the Blues, and had absolutely no clue of what it was going to be like. Visually, my first impressions were that this film belongs in the Yellow Submarine category of movies; a crazy animated and hallucinogenic ride of a movie. However, after a few minutes in, I understood that  the film was nothing like my preconceived notions. As the film progressed, I began to really appreciate the approach and message that the director intended. The film, which centers around the story Ramayana, changes the perspective from the original story. Instead of viewing the story through Rama's eyes, we get to see it through the eyes of Sita. This totally changed my feeling about the Ramayana. What struck me the most about this interpretation, was how much sympathy I began to feel for Sita. I saw the emotional roller coaster ride that she suffered through, especially with her exile to the woods by Rama. I also really appreciated the use of the modern day parallel to help clarify the plot, and also to help express the ongoing feeling of abandonment and sorrow that permeated throughout the film. While there are definite feminist tones though out the film, I found them totally appropriate in this interpretation of a classic religious tale. I personally feel that the story of Sita and Nina really helps to change the view point of the Ramayana, and also shows the importance of perspective in the interpretation of texts, and how interpretations change as time progresses.

Andrew