Nepalin morsian / The Beloved Daughter

Tiina Madisson: Nepalin morsian / The Beloved Daughter.

National Competition 5
Tampere International Film Festival (TFF)
Plevna 2, Tampere, 5 March 2020.
    Languages: Bhojpuri, Nepalese, Sanskrit. DCP with English subtitles. E-subtitles in Finnish.
    Q&A after the screening with Tiina Madisson (director), Kirsi Mattila (producer), Salla Luhtala (composer) and Katja Pällijeff (editor).

NEPALIN MORSIAN
THE BELOVED DAUGHTER

Tiina Madisson | Finland, Norway 2019 | Documentary | 72 min

TFF: "Rekha has a dream: she wants to become an English teacher. However, she is already 14, and time is running out to find a husband for her. Although child marriage is forbidden by law, the practice is still common in their remote Nepalese village near the Indian border. Rekha’s father is a loving father and he wants to find a good husband for Rekha."

"Rekhalla on unelma: hän haluaa englanninopettajaksi. Hän on kuitenkin jo 14-vuotias, ja on kiire löytää hänelle aviomies. Vaikka lapsiavioliitot on kielletty laissa, käytäntö elää yhä heidän syrjäisessä nepalilaiskylässään lähellä Intian rajaa. Rekhan isä rakastaa tytärtään ja haluaa löytää tälle hyvän aviomiehen."

AA: The story of the 14 year old Rekha who lives in a remote Nepalese village. She wants to have a good education and become an English teacher, but his father wants her to marry.

Tiina Madisson's beautiful film belongs to the Flaherty tradition. In the remote village we can still connect with an ancient way of life, outside electricity and the social norms of the state. For a Westerner this is a "mobile detox", living in the rhythm of the nature, following the sun.

In the Q&A after the screening Madisson told us that she has lived in the village for such long periods that she has become one of them, and gained privileged access to the families. After years she found Rekha whose family agreed to participate in the film.

Like Nanook of the North, The Beloved Daughter is enacted reality. The situations and the conversations would have been impossible to catch with candid camera. The characters of the drama portray themselves. We follow farming, we follow buffalo-herding, we follow fishing and how Rekha learns to prepare a meal from a fish that has just been caught in the river.

Like Flaherty, Madisson favours the long take, the montage interdit approach. It is essential to catch the rhythm of the life which is based on the rhythm of the nature. A key experience is dignity.

Visually the movie is exceptionally beautiful: the people, the nature, the light, the colour, the compositions. This village does not seem to be located in the Himalayas but the nature looks ravishing anyway. Women's clothes have radiant colours. We also follow processes of beautification such as mehndi, the ancient Indian body art applied on hands by henna.

The marriage ceremony is a splendid highlight, but it is a great paradox because it means tragedy for Rekha. Her dream is crushed, and she bursts into bitter tears. "You are one with your deep driven desire". "As your deed is so is your destiny".

The practice of child marriage is illegal in Nepal, and we may be witnessing the last generations still experiencing it. In the final credits we learn about UNICEF's concerns. Globally, 12 million girls still are forced to marriage while under 18 years of age.