One of the first things that strikes you about Matir Moyna (the Clay Bird) is that, although it hardly shows any violence at all, it makes a very powerful anti war statement. Directed by Tareque Masud, this Bangladeshi film portrays how the State can have absolute power over the individual, and how it affects individual lives. This social control can either be implemented by forceful means or ideological control, both of which are applied by the State at one point or the other. Through the media of religion, education, politics, economics, the all pervading totalitarianism of the State controls and constrains individual free will and action, but the film also shows how an empowered individual can make choices and gain awareness about his/her own situation.
It is interesting to note that, even as a madarsa strives to maintain a group of little boys who are all brought up on the same norms and values and are taught to share the same love for their community and hatred for its supposed enemies, the one student who dares to be different is punished relentlessly. Also, in the realm of the household, the power relationship between a husband and a wife showcases how patriarchy is present even in the mildest of men, as how a gentle man can exert complete, intimidating control over his much more independent and fervent wife.
Set in the Bangladesh of 1969 to 1971, the film shows how civil war can create strife in a country, and a State which is supposed to protect its citizens ends up destroying them. Each character is a symbol for something much greater, much broader than the character itself, but also has an intrinsic charm of its own. The little girl who dies because her father believes that his medicine will cure her and does not let her have the doctor’s prescribed medicine is a little symbol of hope and the open hearted wonder that only a child can possess. The boatman somehow becomes a connecting point in the story, making it even tighter, as he fills in gaps in the plot which help to increase awareness of the characters.
The little boy, Anu, the protagonist in many ways, adds freshness to the viewer’s perception of the film, as if they too, were seeing the cruelties that people are capable of for the first time. The young man, who believes in the communist ideology and dies trying to defend it, represents the dynamic youth which spearhead any people’s movement in any country in the whole world. But the most riveting scene is where the wife gains enough courage to leave her confused and bewildered but obstinate husband behind in order to save herself and her son, which also marks the end of the film.
Evocative and compelling, the film manages to make a point in the most subtle and understated of ways, and shows how even if things are not happening blatantly, they can flourish and function in the realm of ideas. In fact, it is this ideological manifestation which is so difficult to grasp, and media, if used correctly as with this film, can make people much more aware of what they are being put through in the name of religion or protection or welfare. A living proof of this power is the fact that this film scared the politicians enough for them to ban it from Bangladesh, yet it still managed to reach and touch many people’s lives, the first step in the right direction to actually changing them.
[tags] Matir Moyna, An Evocative And Compelling Movie [/tags]