The World Unseen

This is the second of 2 collaborations between the same team: writer / director Shamim Sarif, producer (and Sarif's life and business partner) Hanan Kattan, and actors Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth. I rented both I Can't Think Straight (their first collaboration) and The World Unseen on Netflix, but enjoyed this movie so much I ended up buying the I Can't Think Straight + The World Unseen set.

The World Unseen is an excellent film. The story is engrossing, the relationships develop naturally and believably, the context is rich and well-developed, and the performances are refined and compelling. The soundtrack supports and enhances the movie (although I wish there was more African music), and the visuals are unique and intriguing. Really, hat's off to Sarif and team: Well done!

Set in South Africa in 1952, near the beginning Apartheid, the story opens by introducing us to Amina, a young, independent Indian woman, who, with her silent partner Jacob, owns her own business, the Location Cafe. Amina pushes conventions just to the limit: working instead of marrying and procreating; allowing blacks and whites to eat in the same location (although she hides that when the police come around); wearing trousers like a man instead of traditional Indian women's clothing; and living, if not completely openly, at least not completely closeted, as a lesbian. Virtually everything about Amina defies the conventions of her Indian heritage and the laws and culture of her South African home, so just living her life is an act of quiet defiance. I think Sheetal Sheth gives a compelling performance: we feel Amina's commitment to her truth and values, and at least some of her inevitable internal conflict.

Next we're introduced to Miriam, an Indian wife and mother of 2 (soon to be 3). Miriam has completely submerged her own truth, and dutifully lives the life that's expected of her, marrying the man her parents agreed to, raising his children, and submitting to his will. Lisa Ray really gives a wonderful performance. Miriam is all but empty inside, and consequently has relatively little dialogue. So Ray must convey the character with her face and body, and she does an excellent job. We can absolutely feel her emptiness, her questioning and ultimately her awakening.

Amina and Miriam meet when Miriam and her sister-in-law come to the Location Cafe for lunch. There's an immediate connection, but the relationship develops very slowly over the course of the film. For me, the pacing of the relationship was practically perfect.

Although the story is primarily about Miriam and her relationship with Amina, other characters, as well as the overall context of Indian culture and South African Apartheid, are richly developed, and this really is what makes the movie shine. Miriam's husband (Parvin Dabas) is a complex and almost sympathetic anti-hero. Jacob, Amina's business partner, has to hide his role in the business because the South African laws forbid a colored person owning a business. Jacob also has a developing relationship with a white woman, and we get to see that relationship unfold. We get some shocking insight into the realities of Apartheid, and also some clear insight into Indian culture in general, and the Indian subculture in South Africa in particular. Personally, I was not aware there was such a large Indian presence in South Africa. I'm grateful to the movie for showing me that slice of time / culture so vividly.

One wish I have would be for a bit more in the way of love scenes between Miriam and Amina. Ray and Sheth are both heart-stoppingly beautiful women, they both give very compelling performances, and you just really want these women to be together. But what we get to see is really very brief. In our current climate of blatant, in-your-face sexuality everywhere you look, I understand and actually appreciate Sarif's decision to be restrained and respectful. And I'm happy to use my imagination (which I've done a LOT, BTW! :-) ). But...well...gosh. Speaking purely viscerally, I really wanted more.

One other small issue I had: The first time watching it, I had a hard time figuring out the relationships between all the Indian characters, especially at the beginning. It turns out the woman Miriam first goes to the Cafe with is her sister-in-law, Farah, but it was way later that I figured that out. We see Miriam scrubbing a floor when Farah enters the picture for the first time, and later the 2 women are dressed so differently that I thought Miriam was Farah's housekeeper. It also took me a while to figure out that the people we first see at the train station are Amina's father, mother and grandmother. I do sometimes have trouble tracking relationships in movies [I have a neurological disorder that makes it difficult for me to recognize faces], so it might just be me. But I think the relationships could've been made clearer sooner.

Anyway, hat's off to Sarif for a wonderful film, Ray and Sheth and the rest of the cast for wonderful performances, and Leonie Casanova for some beautiful music (and some lovely dancing!). Well done, all.

[One point of curiosity: in the credits, Sarif thanks Donna Deitch, the director of Desert Hearts. I wonder what role Deitch played in the production of this movie???]

Where to start ? This film was beautifully presented. Would never guess that the director was working on just her second film . She really has a talent for movie making. The subject matter was thoughtfully presented & made you wince & cheer at the appropriate moments .

It provided a glimpse into the racial divides that were prevelant at the time; & was beyond thought provoking. The chemistry & tension between Lisa Ray & Sheetal Sheth was palpable, & as another reviewer mentioned, their physical connection could have been more deeply explored, however, this film endeavours to cause the viewer to ponder days past, & provides a historical picture of the era. As such, the combination of drama & tension, works ...

Thankfully, I purchased the combo pack which includes "I Can't Think Straight", Shamim Sarifs 1st film. Which took the sensual, physical connection further than this film .

I loved the extras on both films . The interviews & behind the scenes look really assisted in having a sense of where the author & director was coming from. I certainly hope her films receive strong support & she will be able to continue to bring us films of quality & substance.

These 2 films were a real delight. I will watch them repeatedly. Such a treat to have films made by women, for women . Provocative, engaging, & much more . A must own film for any serious collector of this genre.

In 1950's South Africa, a land torn apart by apartheid, Amina epitomizes individuality and freedom. She runs the Location Café, a haven of fun, food and festivities open to all. She defines her own laws and lives on her own terms undeterred by the reproving police or disparaging Indian community.

Miriam demurely follows conventions. She is a doting mother to her three children and a subservient wife to her chauvinistic husband. Amina and Miriam are the antithesis of each other yet their inherent kindness and their recognition of human dignity connects them. Their emotions get entwined and their lives change forever.

Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth captivate hearts with compelling performances. Shamim Sarif proves to be a superlative director. In the resplendent South African landscape with retro music strewn in the background The World Unseen is a visual poetry about blossoming human connections in the midst of hatred and oppression.

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