Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues

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This film was the ultimate cinematic experience: it was vibrant, colorful, and captivating. I loved how Paley incorporated different styles of animation to highlight different dimensions of the story. The Ramayana is a wild tale, and this essence was beautifully captured by the highly engaging animated characters, who sing and dance their way through the story. 
I particularly enjoyed the interludes that were narrated by the Gods, whose cynicism and sarcasm were hilarious and relatable. The hand drawn animation was stunning; the proportion of the figures were skewed in such a way as to make them appear otherworldly. 
The choice to include a parallel storyline involving an ordinary human couple was interesting. It served as a sort of modern equivalent to this ancient tale, perhaps providing viewers a more personal experience with a version that contained aspects they could compare their own lives to. 
Overall, I was blown away by this film and the magical world it drew me into. The Indian Epics can appear daunting; there are many different characters to follow (some who are both humans and Gods at the same time!) and it may be difficult to understand the flow of the story as the setting rapidly changes. Having a visual representation like this is a great way of taking the viewer's understanding to the next level.



Rama doubts Sita's purity. Source: Flickr

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Bibliography

Paley, Nina. "Sita Sings the Blues." Released 2008.

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