THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN (Dilip Mehta, India/Canada). 90 minutes. Subtitled. April 24, 7 pm, Isabel Bader. Rating: NNNN
Dilip Mehta ‘s directorial debut spins off Deepa Mehta’s feature film Water, set in 1938, to catch up with widows in contemporary India.
The result is a potent account of what is basically a disposable population. There are 45 million widows in India, most of them thrown out of their homes because it’s believed they’ll jinx the family.
It’s not a total bummer. Canadian expat and widow Ginny Shrivastava, who works to promote women’s economic independence, and Mohini Giri, who operates a shelter for widows, provide some inspiration.
Mehta has the director-of-photography credit on Water, which explains why The Forgotten Woman, which he directed and shot, is so stunningly beautiful.
