I was surprised at the few at the Regal Theatre on Thursday 12th for the 2.30 p m show. Pleasantly surprised to see around 15 Korean (I presume) men who apparently appreciated the film. I hope there will be more during the weekend and days to follow when the scare of bombs becomes dimmer in the mind.

Prabhakaran is a must see film. It is not absolutely current since the days of slaughter of entire villages in the threatened areas are mercifully no more and child recruitment by the LTTE is, we believe and hope, less. These plus committing suicide for the cause are the main themes of the film. The LTTE, we are told is in its last gasp. But it is salutary and pertinent that what happened, is probably still happening, and can happen is brought on screen by a sure directing hand.

The Eurostar film is by Thushara Peiris. We remember the trials and tribulations and assault no less, that he suffered in his bringing his film project to completion. The producers are Osmund de Silva and Saman Thanthirigala. The stars are comparatively unknown and I did not note their names.

The plot, briefly narrated, is of a woman of mixed parentage – Tamil father, Sinhalese mother - who marries a fairly prosperous chena cultivator (Sinhalese) and is expecting a child. Her brother is a LTTE cadre undergoing training and then in battle. The girl is recruited by the LTTE as a suicide bomber. The couple’s village is attacked and they go live in a refugee camp. The film carries the boy’s name, either he was named thus or was given the name or assumed it once he joined the movement. But it is, of course, pregnant with connotation. Notwithstanding the title of the film, the most important protagonist, in my opinion, is the girl. It is around her that events swirl, emotions churn.

The film is for the thinking viewer. Much, like the reason for the girl’s behaviour, has to be deduced and reasoned out by the viewer. We see she is in the clutches of the LTTE and consents to help them so her younger brother, who is one of their cadres, is looked after and she gets to see him. But has she sympathies with the cause? There is turmoil in her emotions because of the baby she is expecting and her husband being good to her. This two faced nature is shown by the real girl in her day to day life and the girl in frenzied crying or hysterical laughter determining she will care for her child. Juxtaposed against a huge tree in a bare landscape her histrionics are striking, but it’s only the intelligent viewer who will recognize the ranting woman as the alter ego of the young woman and connect the two as one.

The acting is good and a relief not to see familiar faces of the Sinhala cinema. Editing is sharp and the preface to a shift in scene being a full moon against a black sky was effective. So also the lit torches indicating an ambush and attack; bombs exploding; and the scenes of the girl walking blandly unmoved among the loud mourners.

Mercifully we do not see abject poverty nor irritatingly degrading indications of village life. (I remember with disgust the dirty bucket in the famous ‘Sulang’ something film which was raved over by the arty). The chena cultivator has a motorbike and he seems sensitive and does not mind showing his care and concern for his wife. A mite unnatural his kissing her rounded belly and thrilling to the movement of the baby. Somehow we don’t associate peasants with this type of behaviour, but why ever not?

The sound track is excellent. Kavis are sung as background music and gunshots, marching boots, the hoot of an owl and roar of a speeding vehicle are heard from the sides at the back of the cinema hall. Stereophonic sound track?

The scenes of the abduction of children from a school; the training of the new striped cadres; even their tears and reluctance to shoot are realistic. The scenes of the aftermath of the killing sprees of the LTTE Tigers and Tigresses swooping down on villagers is depicted with restraint and finesse. There were ravaged and bloodied bodies but none shown at close range.

The messages conveyed are commendable – the dastardly behavior of the LTTE trainers, and the massacres, all in the name of winning a homeland. Also the recruiting of Sinhala traitors: the man who is spoken to by the LTTE leader, probably to spy on the girl.

A minus point that was most apparent was the absurdity of the recruited cadres and even the LTTE trainers speaking Sinhala. Agreed this film is mainly for a Sinhala audience, but to have diehard LTTErs speaking in Sinhala was grating more than ludicrous. Even their chant/war cry for Eelam was in Sinhala! They should have spoken Tamil and the translations in Sinhala flashed on screen as subtitles. Would that have cost that much or taken so much extra production time?

The scene where the girl’s brother leads a group of dissatisfied LTTE boy cadres with a few older men to desert the LTTE and seek refuge with the Sri Lankan army was like people playing at war. It came across un-authentic.

The last bit of the story too stuck out as unrealistic. It was a good and satisfying ending but trite. The girl has sobbed her heart out seeing her brother’s body in the morgue and is trudging back home. The LTTE trainer who recruited her is being driven in a pick-up. They give the girl a lift and she leaves the explosives given her earlier on in the back of the truck. Would a hardened Tiger not have looked to see whether the girl was taking with her the bag given her? Maybe we should believe he was relaxed and did not note what she carried even though he politely alighted and opened the door for her. Do LTTE leaders ever relax?

However, all in all I thought the film good and worth seeing, if you can stomach a mighty lot of sobbing. More should see the film and comment since the director would sure like criticism. It is a cerebral film - to think about, not be entertained by. The film is a reminder of what happened and still happens and could happen in this war that’s tearing the country asunder.