I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I'm a big fan of the director Satyajit Ray, who lived up to Renoir's humanist goal of making movies in which "everyone has their reasons." This movie is superb, detailing the dynamics of the war-caused Bengali famine of 1943 through the eyes of villagers, and then forcing the viewer to attempt to multiply the suffering depicted millions of times over in our boggled minds through the cinematic tour de force of a sledgehammer ending. It's marred by an able-ist depiction of one character with a scarred face, which is especially too bad because the scenes in which he appears are the ones in which Ray cinematically draws the connections between male violence in the form of rape and male violence in the form of war planes overhead. I know my review might drive people away from watching a film with this subject matter, and it is wrenching, but the relationships and characters portrayed are believable and even, at times, loving, and the movie is unforgettable and well worth watching.

The legendary Ray tackles what is known as The Great Bengal Famine in 1943 when India was still under the British Raj. Food was becoming scarcer as the price skyrocketed far beyond what was affordable and in the end, there just wasn't any left. With the attempt to help England during WWI, Churchill used the help of India and exported the majority of food that was so badly needed by the local Indians. As someone had stated, he also forbade other countries from offering any aid to India. The starvation resulted in more than 5,000 000 deaths.'Ashani Sanket' takes place in a poor rural Bengali village where most people are illiterate and even unaware of the war going on in the other side of the world. In a beautiful scene Ananga and her friend Chutki are fascinated by the flying jets which hardly means anything more to them than a distant thunder. They aren't even aware that those jets are flying to war. Gangacharan and Ananga are the newer inhabitants of the village and are of a 'sophisticated' Brahmin class. The villagers look up to them.However, as hunger strikes an become more severe, it gradually strips the villagers off their humanity (the fight over the rice) and integrity (Chutki offering herself in exchange of rice) but at the same time it also brings a more positive change in Gangacharan and Ananga. Gangacharan, who was arrogant and pompous, learns that he had lived his affluent life at the cost of the villagers. He becomes aware of the sacrifices others have made for him and that in this tragic ordeal there are no inequalities. Class does not matter for everyone is suffering equally. Consequently, he offers to give the the 'untouchable girl' a proper death ritual. The always compassionate Ananga grows from the naive housewife to a stronger woman.Ray's treatment is simple and this makes the portrayed village life look very authentic. At the same time he brings depth and there is plenty of detail and metaphor like the two butterflies that intrigue Ananga. Ray has always been known to be one of the greatest storytellers and 'Ashani Sanket' is no different. He gradually unfolds the story as he reveals how powerless hunger can cause humans to become and yet how these people fight to survive. On the technical front, background music is effectively minimalized and the cinematography is stupendous.Soumitra Chatterjee is marvelous. Obviously, there's a reason why Ray has repeatedly cast him in so many of his films. Thanks to Ray for discovering Babita's talent because this is one of the very very few movies in which she is given a role that does full justice to her acting abilities. Sandhya Roy too delivers a noteworthy performance as Chutki.'Ashani Sanket' is an astounding film that I found to be very enlightening. Many have claimed for it not to be their favourite Ray film but to me it's a remarkable film, another gem from the legend.

DISTANT THUNDER is a very hard to find film (at least it was for me), so, if you see at your local library or film rental, don't pass up the chance to see it. It tells the story of the famine of 1943, in India, where a young Brahmin doctor (Soumitra Chatterji) and his beautiful wife (Babita) must search for rice, as the price continues to climb. The doctor is humbled by the experience and is forever changed (for the better) through experiencing, firsthand, what it feels like to be hungry. This is a beautiful masterpiece by the incomparable Satyajit Ray. If you haven't seen his films already, this is a great introduction. I also highly recommend THE APU TRILOGY, TWO DAUGHTERS, DEVI and THE STRANGER.

The chemistry between Chatterjee and Babita is amazing in this classic study of the conflicts between religion, station, and the inner workings of human souls. Ray's best-known masterpiece improves with repeated viewings. Every time, I watch it, I pick up new nuances, particular on Babita's performance. The thin lines between devout and callous, love and loathing, & heroism and insanity have never been examined more in-depth or with greater insights. On one level, great art, on another flawlessly technical, but overwhelmingly emotionally draining in the best possible way.