Little Jaffna
Introduction
When it comes to a city like Paris, the first thing that instantly pops in mind is the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of love. It is definitely amongst the top tourists spots in the world that has now been synonymous with the identity of the city. But in the film Little Jaffna, the area of focus in Paris is a little district that resembles a local Tamil neighbourhood with incense sticks sticking out of shops and local eateries that are symbolic of chaos. That little area is given the mantle of Little Jaffna given the majority of the population that stay in the neighbourhood, mostly Tamilians from the then war-torn Sri Lanka who did flee their own country for a better sense of livelihood. But the thinking of the folks from the neighbourhood is of angst that invariably translates into financial help and money laundering that are their means of giving back to their people back home in Jaffna, that essentially forms the crux of the tale.
Story & Screenplay
One of the interesting facets of Little Jaffna lies with the characterization of the protagonist Michael (a wonderful Lawrence Valin), a character internally conflicted about his identity in a foreign land. Interestingly, his character is pretty much in sync with the conflicted identity of the land that he finds himself in. For instance, Little Jaffna has a conflicted identity of its own – yes, it is a part of Paris in France but doesn’t necessarily exude of the same vibe as the rest of the city although there is an aspiration to blend with the atmospherics of the city and not be a recluse outsider. Much like it, Michael is also a conflicted character given that his family had fled to France while he was a child, and hence, he has always grown up thinking he is French whereas, the people around him don’t really treat him as one of their own. This forces Michael to win by trust by infiltrating the local gang, a la The Departed, in order to absorb and pass on information about the money laundering tactics employed by Tamil locals in aiding the war in Jaffna.
There is a sense of madness with caution employed in the drama, two drastically different emotions at opposite sides of the spectrum. This is reflective of the lives of people in the neighbourhood who are often embroiled in fist fights between opposite members of the gang, while also having a sense of naivety when it did come to protecting their community in a foreign land. This was particularly true because Puvi, the henchman working for the local guardian and mafia Aya, develops a strong affinity for Michael, not doubting him one bit about his hidden intentions. Yes, Michael is asked to prove his worth to Aya before being witness to a betrayer being flung from the roof of a building, but there was always a sense of protection and preservation while welcoming him with open arms.
I liked how the writing created a character out of the surroundings while maintaining its conflicting theme. So you see the characters going berserk while witnessing a Thalapathy Vijay film at a local theatre in Paris (on more than one occasion), even while having a clear demarcation on the kind of cinema being consumed by the locals (a meta-reference that is expertly implied). There is always a sense of tension lurking in the air, even as the character of Michael is undercover and acting as a sponge for information. And so, the second layer of the drama is reserved for the internal conflict of Michael, even as he can’t distinguish between right and wrong, and good and bad on a morality scale, wherein the actual truth lies somewhere in between. There is a clear disagreement between his head and heart that is further put to the fore during its moving finale act that showcases Aya telling Michael that it is only going to get harder from here. This conflict of identity might be true for so many individuals from across the globe, and may not necessarily be compartmentalized to the Jaffna war. The screenplay here is layered and makes for an excellent watch.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but exude of a local distinct flavour that sticks out from the otherwise demure flavours of the city. The BGM is electric, particularly in multiple chase sequences and it definitely does its bit in not only keeping the viewers on their toes, but also maintaining levels of tension in the drama. The cinematography is excellent as well, amalgamating shots that are wonderfully representative of the themes of the drama, as well as highlighting the internal conflict of Michael through a tight setup. The editing is crisp and sharp too while never letting go of the mounting levels of tension in the drama. Director Lawrence Valin does a phenomenal job with the filmmaking here. There is instantly a lot of flair that is showcased with his imageries and his treatment of chaos in the drama, while being mindful of the thread of conflict that allows the drama to be grounded to reality. The direction is stupendous here and really matches up to the intensity of the writing.
Performances
The performances are excellent by the members of the cast here. Marilou Aussiloux who plays the character of the cop guiding Michael, has a good screen presence and she definitely has her moments to shine. Kawsie Chandra as Selvi has a quiet little charm to her character and she does a wonderful job despite a limited screentime. The veterans Radhika Sarathkumar as Ammamma and Vela Ramamoorthy as Aya are wonderfully layered characters, both conflicted but on opposite sides of the spectrum, and they manage to touch upon such complexities with their respective characters that tell us a story about the journey that both of bern through, individually. Puviraj Raveendran as Puvi may not be an affable character to begin with, being authoritative and almost a ruffian of sorts, but he does have a tender streak that is caring and being protective about folks of his community. And Puviraj does a wonderful job in bakancing the two aspects, so much so that you actually feel for him in a scene on his wedding night where he is attacked. His humane side of him is what adds a fresh dimension to his character. Lawrence Varin as Michael is outstanding to the core in the acting department too. This was by no means an easy role because it required a lot of internalization with the conflicts that the character was going through. And there was such finesse and calmness that Lawrence approached his role, so much so that it would coax you to invest in his journey while also participate in his emotions. This was a stupendous act by a very talented artist.
Conclusion
As a part of our MAMI coverage, Little Jaffna is a dazzling drama on an identity conflict backed by solid filmmaking and performances that makes for a heartfelt watch.