La Sirga
opens to a scarecrow or a corpse shaking on a stake and the expanse of endless
wind and fog. Alicia, a Columbian teenager emerges from the fog of war torn uncertainty.
Her village was burned down by the rebels. The perpetrators of the riots are
never revealed. They are fogged too. Alicia, like a zombie walks among ghostly trees
and collapses in the swamp. Mirichis rescues and delivers her to
her paternal uncle Oscar, who runs a lake side inn for the tourists- La Sirga. He
reluctantly takes her in. He puts her in the middle room. The word ‘Middle’
thus acquires a dramatic significance to the plot. Middle is her age. She is
not a completely a woman and not completely a girl. She is in the middle of
war. In the middle room, through the cracks of wooden walls, her uncle lustfully
watches her undressing. She sleepwalks and buries down the burning candles in
the marsh. She is haunted by the demons of war and understands deep within
that, lights holds no relevance to the new age.
Along with
Flora, the house keeper at La Sirga she renovates the inn from the ruins. Mirichis innocent extension of love and simple understanding of
her condition advances the movie plot. We begin to see that, it is not just
village of Alicia, other villages in and around the lake La Concha are being burned
down. Arrival of guns in the taxi boat of Mirichis implies the impending conflict.
Alicia and almost everyone in the movie live in this strange expectancy. The only thing that swims against the wind is
the water turf, an El Sorro. I really don’t
know what an El Sorro is. But we see this floating turf in the initial scenes
of the movie also. Its ability to swim against the wind is explained to Alicia.
We feel that, the turf that swims against the wind can actually define Alicia
and her lust for life.
Errant son of her uncle, Freddy appears
one day from the blue. He appreciates the efforts of Alicia. He decides to stay
long. But Mirichis proximity with his cousin envies him. We soon see him, watching
Alicia undressing from the cracks of the other room. Alicia turns back and sees
the lustful eyes of his father in the other end. Freddy completes her miseries of
being in the middle. We begin to learn soon afterwards that, effect of war in
human mind offers extreme solutions. Something happens to Mirichis. Movie does not
show what happened to him. But it is obvious that, something bad has happened to
him and either her uncle or her cousin is involved. We see, Alicia picking up
the wooden figurine of Eve made by Mirichis, lying covered in the swamp where
that something happened. Desperate, but strong Alicia tries to travel against
the wind is the last scene.
The Director
provides a refreshing perspective on the insecurities of the period that we
live in. Even with a low budget, he presents a clear view of the life in La
Concha. Cinematography is excellent and in certain scenes, it deliberately tries
to become predominant. The beauty of wind among the over grown grass and the inconsistent
water that, Mirichis rows back. Leaking roof, leaves sparkling drops of water
in the transparent container is so beautifully captured. Every other thing in
the movie bears the signature of the Cinematographer.
La Sirga offers the
worries of our period. Images used in the movie symbolizes the insecurities of
our period. A roof that leaks and threatens to fall represents the failures of
manmade solutions to the man made conflicts. A bruised knee, distant thunder
and dark clouds above the lake need no explanations.
I really don’t know
the political condition of Columbia. I really don’t think that, La Sirga exists
only in Columbia. It exists everywhere. Alicias live in my neighborhood. I hope
they all try to swim against this wind.
I loved La Sirga. My
Whatsapp mate, Naveen says that, he has a terrible sickness of liking all the
movies, he ends up watching. I think, I have got that sickness from him and I
am loving it totally.
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