John Malkovich Presents Santosh Sivan's Terrorist

Review by David Overbey
On the basis of its image alone, The Terrorist is the most beautiful film from India in years (maybe ever). The images of water are ever-present - in streams, in falls, in rain, in tears. It becomes wondrous in itself, as well as a bond between characters, actions, and emotions. The depiction of eyes, hands, faces, convey enough so that the dialogue can remain spare. Indeed, the incredibly expressive eyes of Ayesha Dharkar are so central to the emotional and intellectual core of the film, it would seem to have been impossible without her.
That the images are so strong should be no surprise. As a cinematographer, Santosh Sivan has frequently worked with Mani Ratnam, creating beautiful images that have no doubt contributed to the latter's popularity at the Festival.
The story is a harrowing one. Malli is a young woman whose entire family has been sacrificed to "the cause". We are deliberately not given details about the cause, save that the rebels are fighting against a repressive government. Malli has killed before without thought, just as she embraces the righteousness of "the cause" without thought. She is picked for a special assignment: a suicide assassination of a politician.

Most of the film concerns her final preparations and her travel to the town where the assassination is to be carried out. Along the way, and in the town itself, she gets to know various "ordinary" people living without political motivations. Those growing friendships begin to change her, but years of family life with the rebels make her resistant to new perspectives. The film is about violence, but marvelously avoids showing much of it (a splash of blood here, a gunshot heard there). The Terrorist is intelligent, moving, serious and a treat for both the mind and the eyes.

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