Exploring the life of two surrendered Naxalites – Somi and Sukhram, A Rifle And A Bag is a documentary created in unusual circumstances but one which offers an intimate and honest portrayal of these two individuals who are trying to navigate a world they had sworn to transform.
Directed by three women – Arya Rothe from India, Cristina Hanes from Romania and Isabella Rinaldi from Italy. The film is a product of their collective effort brought out by the Doc Nomads Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Documentary Filmmaking programme, which is conducted in universities in Portugal, Hungary, and Belgium.
The impressionistic 89-minute documentary shows the lives of Somi and Sukhram who live in a settlement of surrendered Naxalites and their attempts to earn a living. They attempt to enroll their son Dadu in a school and the struggle to procure the right caste/tribal certificate that will ease and determine their children’s futures.
The short film is also an accurate reflection of the many social prejudices and obstacles the two have to face because of their past as Naxalites as well as their social status. The microcosm of this family’s story thus becomes a reflection of the macrocosm of the Naxalite movement and the social obstacles for those on the fringes of society.
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