The Little Terrorist

Introduction to cinema

Name: Hamza Bin Tahir

                                                                                                                       

 

      

                                                                                                                               The Little Terrorist

(An analysis by Hamza-Bin-Tahir)

                 

 

The Little Terrorist

Introduction:                                     

“We cannot despair of humanity, since we ourselves are human beings”. (Albert Einstein)

Yes there is humanity in all of us, regardless of religion and race. That is exactly what is portrayed in this remarkable, simple and straightforward short film. “The Little Terrorist” is a gem of a film, discussing a matter that is bigger than the film itself. But it does a pretty good job in those 15 minutes trying to convey the message that it was actually made for.

Idea:

The main theme of this short film is “Religious bias versus Humanitarian sentiments”. One of the main reasons of partition was of course, religious clashes between Hindus and Muslims. They couldn’t stand each other because of there religious difference and thus occurred religious racism, which is carried on till today. This idea is confabulated in the film. The interaction between a Muslim and a couple of Hindus, that how they put there religious differences aside and support a one in distress, only with the thought of humanity and love for life. The film also carries a political comment, evoking a poignant feeling in the viewer.

Synopsis:

The idea seems clichéd but the sensitive issues discussed in the film, make it applaud able. The plot revolves around a 10 year old boy “Jamal” whose playing cricket. But that’s not all; the boy is a Muslim and is playing with his friends close to the Indo-Pak border. The ball is accidentally tossed over to the Indian side of the border and then Jamal goes on a venture to fetch it back. But unfortunately he is spotted by the guards at the border and then the venture becomes into a “run for your life” scenario. He is then aided by a Brahman “Bholla” and his niece “Rani”, who keeps him in hiding and provides shelter. They eventually guide him back toPakistansafely. A simple enough idea.

Script:

The script is pretty linear, with straight forward story telling. The writer has written it in a way, which the audience would connect to the story emotionally. The plot is somewhat predictable, but a keen eye is kept on light hearted, comic and humorous interventions to keep the story lively. The script builds tense situations well, with good pace and creativeness. The sudden occurrence of tense situations, such as the firing when the guards are alerted, near the border, is played out well. There are also a few interesting plot changing twists such as; the scenes where Jamal’s head is shaved off and when he turns mute to fool the security guards, are quite unforeseen and in some nature, surprises the viewer. A good deal of religious racism is discussed in the film such as the scenes; where the family eats food and Jamal touches there utensils. Another stand out scene is towards the end, where Rani falls while cautiously moving through the mine field; Jamal helps her up and comes into contact with her. She then wipes her face, because being touched by a Muslim. The script gradually turns humane as the climax approaches, with both the Hindu duo and the Muslim boy bonding with each other, by putting there religious differences aside. The pacing is good through out the film, subtly varying in tense situations. Even though the pacing drops in the middle of the film but generally, it holds the audience; neither bores or makes them feel uncomfortable. The dialogues are conventional and are written accordingly to the setting and the type of people living in the areas. The dialogues are not that intriguing, with more emphasis put on a visual experience rather than lines of spoken dialogues.

Execution:

The technical aspects, of the short film are very impressive. Everything is in accordance to the idea. The actors do a staggering job, with there respective roles and the cinematography is pretty decent, that every shot catches the essence of the situation. Visually the film is nice, catching the desert areas with beauty. Every aspect and element of film combines to project the subject and idea of the film in a proper manner, so that the audience’s perception of the film is shaped accordingly.

Narrative Elements:

 

 

 

Protagonist:

The protagonist is a 10 year old Muslim boy named Jamal. The boy is a mischievous and playful personality, who doesn’t know about the troubles of the world. Being a kid he’s fond of cricket, but not the evils of society. Jamal finds himself in a situation, where he doesn’t even know the true nature of the trouble he had caused. He’s pretty brave though, risking himself for the ball, by crossing the border and going into the mine field. But that’s just the half of it. Through out the film, he remains pretty calm, composed and shows glimpses of courage. Now one may ask; why did he even cross the border? Well, the answer is simple, that he wasn’t aware of the consequences. It’s a fact of life, that only the ones with knowledge avoid dangerous ventures. And the background, from where the kid belonged, it was pretty clear that he was naïve. The writer of course, chose a child as the protagonist, is because the audience connect better to children. This throws an emotional equation in the film, as the audience feel for Jamal and root for him until the end.

Desire/Goal:

The main objective of the boy is simply, the ball and then changes to returning back home. So it could be said, that the goal is, part ball and part escape. One may argue that the desire, of the boy is only going back to his home, when he gets trapped in the native land. But one must realize that such a witty little boy would only be thinking about the ball, because he is just a kid. There is a transition, where the desire of the boy changes, from the ball to returning home. But even in the end, we could see that the boy desired the ball, when he plays with Bholla near the tree, after returning home. But he doesn’t care much about it, as he went through a traumatizing event, and runs straight to her mother upon hearing her voice. It also gives a social message, that such a troubled event took place, just because of a mere ball.

Obstacle/Antagonist:

By the looks of the scenarios, in the film, the two guards who chase Jamal all over the place can be considered the antagonists. But there are two other forces, which play a bigger part in the antagonism. Those two are racial discrimination and the political situation, betweenIndiaandPakistani.e. the partition. The two guards, even though they are the antagonists, are mainly there to add tension as a physical obstacle for Jamal. And antagonists don’t have to be physical. To be honest, they play a bigger part when they are there as an unseen force. The issues discussed in the film, again “religious bias” and “political problems” are the main villains, which actually make Jamal end up in a messed up situation in the first place.

Conflict:

The conflict discussed in the film is, “Religious and political differences”. Even though, some may consider, that the conflict was between the guards and Jamal, the whole chase scenario. But a conflict is something, which is basically discussed in the script and the story. It’s something that the story is based on. The name of the film “The Little Terrorist” plays a vital role in discussing the conflict. The name is a satire on the system and the society that the two guards brand a child “terrorist” who doesn’t even know about guns and bullets. Also it’s a satire upon the government and the media, who has manipulated the masses perception that both Indians and Pakistanis consider each other, criminals and terrorists.

Resolution:

The conflict and the troubles are resolved at the end. The resolution was “Humanitarian sentiments”. At the end we could see that the love for humanity wins, overcoming religious discrimination and political barriers. The two supporting characters, Bholla and Rani, neglect their religious values and point of views to, help a little Muslim boy and lead him back home safely. It’s a historical fact, that the Brahmans considered Muslims as impure. But still, the two Brahmans chose to help the boy. The particular scene, at the end, where Rani cuts off the little piece of hair on Jamal’s head, symbolizes that differences and partitions are only set by us and our thinking, that a little piece of hair can separate us so much.

Mise-en-scene:

The subject matter is filmed, with skill. Most aspects of the film are sumptuous and well-done. The director had a keen eye, on how to portray the situation and bring life to it by adding depth and meaning to the environment. Most technical aspects are in accordance to the setting, time and story. The visual themes are presented in an artful way and play a vital role in telling the story.

Figural movement:

Through out the film, it is clear that the actors have done there homework. Actors do a very good job, in bringing emotions in the characters and making them connect to the audience. The movement blocking is satisfying; the director had kept a keen on the movement and placement of actors. The tempo of the movement is pretty well done and in accordance to the scenes, if the scenario is a tensed one, such as the situation where the guards look for Jamal in the village, is quite pacy but not too much that the audience feels uncomfortable. Same goes for the other scenes, where tension is subtly built up.

Figural arrangement:

A composition of the shot depends a lot upon the arrangement, such as props and everything. The director wants to generate the complete experience of what is going on. Giving the traditional Indian desert look to the areas, such as Rajasthan, he authentically gives the visual look of that particular place. Such as the village, where the Hindus live, really shows the essence and believability that the place is authentic and in reality it is the same way. The worn out huts, the dry brown bushes, old pots lying around and even the utensils that they use to eat food are authentic. And above all they are beautifully arranged within shots and are a sheer delight as far as visuals arrangement is concerned.

Lighting:

Most of the film seems to be shot in daylight, but still you have to control the lighting. In the close ups, the light is balanced, with soft textures on the skin. The lighting in the hut sequence, where the guards are interrogating the protagonist, the light is of a bit darker tone, to give a rather tensed and dramatic mood. The light during the night is fine, especially at the particular moment when Bholla lights the wooden torch. It’s balanced and controlled all over the course of the film.

Costume:

The costumes are masterfully done. They are authentic to the setting and time. More over, they really catch the dressing of a Rajasthani desert area. They portray the culture of the place splendidly, and also, one must notice the difference in the costumes of the Hindus and Muslims. The costumes are different for both parties, and again, showing a bit of cultural and religious difference.

Make up:

The make up is very natural and believable. There is certain balance for make up and has been looked upon with a keen eye. Of course, the people living in those areas are simple in there habitats. Similarly, the make up lives up to the authenticity, and portrays the actors as being simple. It also helps the light, to give a soft look on the actors’ faces.

Cinematography:

The camera work is pretty decent and visually appealing. The director does a good job in translating, his vision onto the audience, through the camera lens. The director stuck to the grammar of shot selection and camera placement. At the start of the film, we see the director using the “Over the top shot” when the protagonist crawls through the mines, to fetch the ball. This gives a symbolic indication of the dangers, that Jamal is about to face.

One shot in particular, that the director has used quite often in the film, is the point of view (First person). His used it pretty well. The eye-line matches are almost accurate and do a decent job in conveying, to the audience, the characters point of view. Establishing shots are also there, giving a view of the surroundings and the settings. The director has used the lower angle shot quite effectively, to show dominance and superiority. Specially, when the guards are shown, they are usually shown with the lower angle to make them look intimidating. And vice versa for the characters who are in an inferior sate, with the higher angles making them look inferior. A very good example of this certain technique in the film is, when Bholla encounters the guards, near the hill for the first time. The focus in the shots is, neither too deep nor shallow, mostly things are kept in focus rather than keeping depth of field. Although, there are a few occasions in close ups and a few other shots, where the foregrounds and backgrounds are blurry. Another thing is that, when Jamal is in the village, there are foregrounds in the shot frames when he is shown, it gives a sense that the protagonist is caged and is struggling to escape. The hand held shots, are mostly used to show the point of view. In fast paced action sequences, the camera moves quickly and abruptly to give a more drama to the action. Panning is done on numerous occasions, with little to no tilting involved. Tracking is also used; a prime example of this shot is, when the two Hindus are having a conversation about, either keeping the food plate or destroying it and Jamal eavesdrops on them.

Editing:

 

Editing is neatly done. It’s technically pretty strong, keeping the cut transitions natural, avoiding abrupt cuts and changes. Although, there are a few hic ups in editing, such as; the extreme long shot, where Jamal is running behind the cycle. It can be noticed that are continuity jumps, in that particular scene. As Jamal is running behind the cycle there is a cut after the long shot, from the front, it shows that Jamal is closer to the cycle, than in the long shot which creates a continuity jump. Another error in regarding continuity is a “Property jump”. In a specific shot, it is shown that one of the guards has a rifle with a scope attached to it, while in other shots there isn’t a scope on the weapon. Editing during, tensed scenarios are faced paced with “cut after cut” mentality; it sets the tone nicely for action scenes and giving the audience an adrenaline rush. The editing is decent in conversations, timely and to an extent accurate.

Sound:

 

The sound of the film is a star, as far as technical aspects are concerned. It’s strong, emotional and authentic to the setting and of film. The mixing is great and the musical score really helps in generating emotions in the scenes.

Diegetic sounds:

The sounds present in the film’s sphere, are pleasing. The dialogue delivery is clean and clearly audible. The sound effects such as footsteps and other physically made sounds in the film world are mixed well and bring a natural feeling. When a character is far away you can feel the less impact of the voice in the dialogue delivery and when the camera is close, the voice is more impactful. An example of this can be the long shot, where Jamal is running behind the cycle. As the camera switches to long shot, the voice has less impact and tells that the character is far and when camera switches close, voice is more impactful. Another example of diegetic sound is the sequence where Jamal is spotted, while trying to get the ball. Even though the sound of the machine gun and the alarm are a bit exaggerated, but still the sounds do a pretty good job in telling that the guards think there is a terrorist who has crossed the border. Also an example of diegetic sounds in the film is, the sequence where the wandering musicians are singing while passing through the village. Again as they go away from the frame, the sound fades and giving the impression that the subject is moving away.

Non-diegetic sounds:

The additional sounds such as the music are great. The music really is one of the best things about the film. Somewhat it’s dramatic and somewhat emotional. During tense and action situations, the music is dramatic and powerful, and it merges with scenarios well and making them feel action packed. The subtle use of the “Tablas” and “Sitar” in conversations and build ups in tension are done very well. The music catches the essence of the Indian culture. It depicts the classical Indian or sort of a rajathani culture well, and showing the range of music in those areas. It mixes with the atmosphere and connects with the audience.

Comment/Analysis:

 

The film “The Little terrorist” has been made to convey a social message, and it succeeds in that department. It discusses some sensitive issues, such as religious barriers, racism and political boundaries, things that have plagued the human society, since its dawn. The production values might not be too exotic, like someHollywoodflicks, but it’s the idea and the decent execution that make it a great short film. Although, it feels a bit visually limited, the director could have gone to show the desert areas a bit more and with more artistic style. But still it’s that idea that kicks, with decent performances, music and script, a message is conveyed. In the end, the audience has something to think about society and ponder over the issues that this little film portrayed.