credit: Sanjib Das I didn't think it was possible, but I was just transported back to India for 98 minutes via an incredibly vivid, complex and emotionally wrenching documentary called Marathon Boy, screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. Jeff and I were transfixed by this real-life "Slumdog Millionaire" story, told brilliantly in cinema verite style, about a 4-year-old boy plucked from the depths of poverty by a coach who trains him to be a champion marathon runner with the potential to one day fulfill India's Olympic dreams. But what starts out as a tale of redemption for both the boy and his financially impoverished mentor, devolves into a messy struggle among promoters, politicians, petty bureaucrats, thugs and family members who all want a piece of the boy's legacy for their own selfish reasons. In an interview, the director, Gemma Atwal, said she initially was driven to explore the psychological and spiritual relationship between the guru and his disciple. But as the story unfolded over five years of filming, it began to resemble "a Bollywood movie scripted by Dickens." In a discussion after the movie, she said even she was shocked at the twists and turns that eventually tore the characters apart, revealing the very raw underbelly of Indian society. And she remains unsure how to judge the actions and motivations of the coach who walked the fine line between saint and sinner -- which is just how we felt at the end of the movie. Editing her 300 hours of film into 98 minutes, the director was masterful in capturing the flavor of the India Jeff and I remembered from our brief two-week trip there earlier this year (click here for . The intensity of the politics, the ubiquity of the media, the tenacity of the bureaucracy, the vibrancy of the street scenes, the crushing poverty, the filth -- it was all there in sharp focus. And the passion of the people -- their way with words, their expressive eyes, their ingenuity -- that came alive, too. If you want a brief trip to India, try and see this film. The movie was partially underwritten by HBO and therefore won't have a theatrical release anytime soon. (Still, I predict an Oscar nomination.) And there's no air date yet for the film on TV. So if you're in the New York area, do yourself a favor and see one of the three remaining screenings between now and Saturday at the Tribeca Film Festival. There are still tickets available to all three. Look here. Comments are closed.
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