An impoverished family in Nepal is followed over the course of seven years in Drawing the Tiger. The Darnals are a family of subsistence farmers in Nepal, who put their hope in daughter Shanta, who won a scholarship to attend school in the city. With many in her family being uneducated and of an untouchable caste, it is expected that Shanta would bring great things to the village. However, when tragedy strikes, life begins to look much more grim for the family. Drawing the Tiger is a film that starts out as a story of hope and turns into an examination of the role of women in Nepal, many of whom are uneducated and marry at young ages. This is evident in the film by Shanta’s sister-in-law Rabina, who has a much different outlook on life. The title of Drawing the Tiger is referring to a story that is recited by Shanta’s father involving the acceptance of fate. Around the half point of the film, there is a major development, which completely changes the tone of the story that is being told. Drawing the Tiger is an example of how much happenstance can effect the direction of a documentary. The film begins with so much hope and becomes much more dire towards the end. This is all because of one single tragic event, which I choose not to reveal here. It is definitely a major commitment for a filmmaker to stick with a story for seven years and it really pays off for Drawing the Tiger in the end. I should also add that Drawing the Tiger has some beautiful cinematography. Even though the way things turned out were completely unpredicted, and a bit of a downer, it does help to make Drawing the Tiger a much more compelling documentary. ★ ★ ★ ★ | LIKED IT Screenings:
- Wed, Apr 29, 6:30 PM – Scotiabank Theatre 4
- Fri, May 1, 4:45 PM – Scotiabank Theatre 8
- Sat, May 2, 9:15 PM – TIFF Bell Lightbox 2