[COURT opens in
Akron on Friday September 25th exclusively at the Nightlight Cinema.]
Being a long-time metal head, I still remember vividly the
ludicrous charges brought against the band Judas Priest for allegedly driving a
pair of young fans to attempt suicide. This was supposed to have been
accomplished via subliminal messages included on one of their songs, never mind
that it makes no sense for a band to intentionally try to kill off their own
fan base, or the fact that the album containing the song in question had been
out since 1978 without incident until a couple of teens decided to put shotguns
in their mouths in 1985. While it seems absurd that such a case would even go
to trial, it did indeed make it before a judge in the summer of 1990. The
proceedings lasted a month, and the band was acquitted of all charges.
Lucky for Judas Priest their trial didn’t take place in
India, or it might still be going on. That’s the takeaway from writer/director Chaitanya
Tamhane’s debut feature COURT, a
scathing look at India’s justice system and the ways it can be used to stifle
dissent. In Tamhane’s film, it isn’t a heavy metal band in trouble, but an
elderly folk singer named Narayan Kamble (Vira Sathidar) whose songs
rail against those in power. Shortly after a festival performance, Kamble is
arrested and charged with abetment of suicide. According to witnesses, Kamble
sang a song encouraging gutter workers to kill themselves. It hardly matters
that Kamble never wrote or performed such a song, especially when he testifies
in court that he would not be averse to doing so at some point in the future.
Defending
the accused is attorney Vinay Vora (Vivek Gomber), on the other side
public prosecutor Nutan (Geetanjali Kulkarni), with Judge Sadavarte (Pradeep
Joshi) presiding as the trial drags on and on due to procedural issues.
Meanwhile, Kamble remains imprisoned without bail due to the graveness of the
charges and his past history of rabble rousing, which doesn’t do much for his
health. On the other hand, despite an almost complete lack of actual evidence
to back up their charges, the prosecution is afforded a great deal of leniency.
Obviously I don’t want to give away the ending, but suffice it to say this is
not your usual courtroom drama with big scenery chewing monologues as the
lawyers make their closing arguments on the way to a clear black-and-white resolution.
Aside from the court proceedings themselves, we also see the
two attorneys and the judge leading their day to day lives. At first this seems
irrelevant to the film’s main themes, but it soon becomes clear how these
scenes further illuminate the film’s commentary on India’s justice system
by giving us a better understanding of the personal mindsets of the these
characters, and the ways in which modernity and tradition intersect in Indian
culture.
Tamhane directs with a naturalistic style that meshes well with his mostly non-professional cast. He isn't visually flashy, but the shots are effective
and well composed. There's also a conscious avoidance of manipulative film scoring, with the only music coming from Kamble's performances and on screen sources like radios. That said, this is a more polished looking film than the gritty pseudo-documentary
approach of filmmakers like the Dardenne brothers. All in all, an exceptionally
well made film that is both moving and thought provoking, not to mention quite
accessible unless you are the sort who simply refuses to put up with subtitles.
4 out of 4 stars.
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