SILENT WATERS
Directed by: Sabiha Sumar.
Produced by: Sachithanandam Sathananthan, Philippe Avril, Helge Albers & Claudia Tronnier.
Written by: Sabiha Sumar & Paromita Vohra.
Director of Photography: Ralph Netzer.
Edited by: Bettina Böhler.
Music by: Madan Gopal Singh & Arshad Mahmud.
Released by: First Run Features.
Language: Punjabi with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: Pakistan/Germany/France. 95 min. Not Rated.
With: Kirron Kher, Aamir Malik & Shilpa Shukla.

Silent Waters begins with lighthearted scenes of family life and romance. Two middle-aged women, widowed Ayesha (Kirron Kher) and a friend, are on a roof in Charkhi, Pakistan, laughing and talking about an upcoming wedding while Ayesha's spoiled son, Saleem (Aamir Malik), refuses to get out of bed despite his mother’s wake-up calls. Once up, he clandestinely meets his girlfriend, Zubeida (Shilpa Shukla), an intelligent and career-oriented teenager. Later, the community celebrates a wedding, complete with music and dances reminiscent of Bollywood.

However, change is in the air. It is 1979, and the fundamentalist Islamic revolution in Pakistan under General Zia-ul-Haq slowly creeps into the village. Young men like Saleem find purpose in Islamic fanaticism. Teenage school girls, including Zubeida, stare in confusion as Saleem and his cohorts lay bricks on top of the school’s small wall until not one girl can look out beyond it. Saleem’s religious campaign affects Ayesha most of all, bringing to the surface the terrible burden of her past as well as severing her relationship with Saleem and her community.

The story is narrated in a flowing, understated way, consisting of slice-of-life scenes. The increasing fear and oppressive atmosphere is sensed rather than showed - in a father's refusal to let his daughter sing because it would not be prudent. This is precisely what makes the film so compelling, making the oppression and the deep suffering of Ayesha, her son's rejected girlfriend Zubeida, and the violence in all its forms stand out.

The film is not without faults. Saleem's conversion is too sudden and not very convincing, though well acted, and the music can be a bit melodramatic at times. But the film captures the sense of despair of Ayesha, who was oppressed in the past, thought it was behind her, and then finds herself trapped in violent fanaticism all over again.

Silent Water dares to talk about the 1947 partition of Pakistan and India and the horrendous crimes committed against women that followed. It resonates both for its portrayal of a historical moment and the similar challenges women in Pakistan and other Muslim countries still face today.

Roxana M. Ramirez, Peruvian laywer and journalist, formerly a member of the Peruvian Human Rights and Public Service Ombudsman
October 8, 2004