In Venice, ‘Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors’: the horror of colonisation as seen by Lav Diaz

Whilst Diaz had opted for colour in his previous film (a decidedly rare occurrence in his work), with *Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors* he returns to his classic black and white and to those images with an extremely recognisable aesthetic, in which the characters seem completely immersed within the landscape.

Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors

In fact, the very first shots are enough to reveal the characteristic style of this great Filipino filmmaker, who here tackles a particularly harsh and gruesome film that deals not only with colonisation, but also with labour exploitation and the thousands of indigenous people who died as a result of the buildings that were constructed relentlessly between the late 16th and 17th centuries.

Throughout its running time of around 150 minutes, there are a few rather weak moments and the narrative flow is rather uneven, but the film’s visual appeal and the messages it conveys ensure that it remains intense and engaging from start to finish.

It’s not one of Lav Diaz’s best films, but it’s still worth watching.

Meanwhile, “Lovers in the Blue Night” comes from India; it is one of the latest films to be screened in the Orizzonti section, which has featured several truly interesting films this year.

Lovers in the Blue Night

Directed by Anuparna Roy, the film tells the story of four migrants searching for love and a sense of belonging in a city – Mumbai – that offers them very little. Karim, a particularly shy gay man, lives with Ameena, the manager of a bar, whom he married out of pity after their village was destroyed by a flood. Ameena longs to feel loved and clings to mysterious letters that promise her the tenderness that life has denied her. Sukka, a petty thief seeking redemption from his caste, becomes Karim’s forbidden desire and draws him into a secret, highly dangerous world. When Ameena mistakenly believes that the author of the letters is Omran, the bar’s pimp, and begins to fall for him, the misunderstanding awakens a streak of tenderness in Karim, propelling the four protagonists towards a conclusion in which love, illusion and survival collide.

A story of vulnerability and betrayal, secrets and lies, “Lovers in the Blue Night” is a film that draws on Anuparna Roy’s own experience as a migrant; she was awarded a prize last year, also in the Orizzonti section, for her debut film “Songs of Forgotten Trees”. Born in 1994, the director reaffirms her talent with this ensemble piece, which strikes a fine dramatic balance amongst the many themes it explores.

Some of the scenes are a bit formulaic and the level of engagement isn’t always particularly high, but the camera does a good job of framing the characters within their context and is also aided by the compelling performances of a cast who are perfectly cast in their roles.