Director: Brian McKenzie
Producer: Santhana Naidu
Country: Australia
Language: Tamil
Rating: G
Genre: Documentary
One Line
A compelling set of five stories illustrating the fragile nature of day-to-day existence in Tamil Nadu, Southern India.
Half-Page
A compelling set of five stories, filmed in Tamil Nadu (Southern India), from award winning director Brian McKenzie (Love’s Harvest, 2008, WINNER Best Direction in Documentary, DGA Awards 2009).
The first segment follows the tribulations of a man who scrapes a living with his street-side ironing shack. The second is of a young man who wants to ‘make it’ in his own village rather than in a big city. Next we meet a diligent coconut gatherer, who runs a stall by the railway crossing; a livelihood that’s threatened by the disintegration of his bicycle. The fourth segment explores a fascinating microcosm of stallholders and street vendors in colourful and chaotic Thayab Sahib Street. Finally, we track down a TV repairman returning to work after a long illness. His immense calm in a series of face-offs with disgruntled customers and constant power blackouts is nothing less than inspirational. The five stories, each beautifully composed, illustrate the fragile nature of a worker’s day-to-day existence in this region with a wry humour and marked dignity.
