this film tackles problematic issues in Sri Lanka, such as the war and racial intolerance. Sri Lanka is not geared to producing musicals in the same way that Mumbai is. This is a serious, well-made drama,(although one or two unintentional laughs enhance the enjoyment for me) focusing on a wounded Tamil Tiger soldier who sends his daughter to a Sinhalese border village to avoid starving to death in the jungle, after the Sri Lankan army destroys a Tiger base. The young child, Saroja, is taken in by a school teacher and his family, after befriending their daughter. Saroja persuades the teacher to go back and rescue her father. Problems arise when they try to conceal the identities of their new guests from the rest of the village. Similar villages have fallen victim to savage machete killings by Tigers seeking to prolong the war and provoke the army into similar massacres. The paranoia and fear that spreads through the village is powerfully evoked, with Janake Kumbukage being convincing as the teacher (playing a character at least 10 years older than himself). The two little girls in the film were without fault and their scenes avoided over the top sentimentality. Overall, an extremely touching and well-made film.
Review of Saroja
