April 19 2013 – We open on a weathered old man worn down through decades of struggle. He ambles on troubled legs down a desolate country road in the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Tattered and threadbare he seeks respite under a fruit tree. Life hasn’t been kind to Sam (Jagtha Chamila). Born poor and illiterate, society only sees him as a fool who doesn’t understand the ways of the world. So he pushes past his station in life through charm and resourcefulness to fight for acceptance. Despite being an outsider, Sam’s innocence and dreams keep him going. Sam’s Story, is the critically acclaimed first novel by Sri Lankan writer Elmo Jayawardena transformed to film. Through all his tears and loss, happiness and hate, Sam tells his journey of a life that is anything but simple.
Living a piece meal existence out in a small Sri Lankan village, his unyielding mother believes that her two boys can overcome life’s obstacles and succeed in whatever endeavour they choose. With the death of his best friend and protector, Piya, Sam is taken by his uncle to a neighbouring town to work as a house boy. After enduring a series of degrading house jobs, the opportunity to leave presents itself when Sam’s younger brother Jaya dies at the hands of Tamil soldiers during the on-going Sri Lankan civil war. Sam must go home for the funeral and tend to his mother.
With his infectious smile and disarming personality, Sam charms all who meet him. Although he works to endear himself to each new family, he only finds marginal success. But, his luck would change when Sam kindly accepts a servant position from a sympathetic master and his large rambunctious family to work at their river house. The years Sam spends there become the best of his life. The family begins to view Sam more like a son and not a house boy. This time is not without its tensions, as he works along-side two other servants whose political leanings side with the Tamil Tiger guerilla movement. But with time comes change. After years of family bliss and acceptance, Sam’s hopes are once again dashed when tragedy befalls the family and they must move on without him.
Verdict: 3.5 / 5: In his debut feature film, Writer / Director, Priyankara Vittanachchi brings to life the heart-warming story of a boy overcoming all to find happiness and live a fulfilling life. At times the film is hampered from stiff one-dimensional acting and over simplified narration but, through the eyes of Sam, we become painfully away of the daily political tensions and everyday dangers of life in Sri Lanka. The range of convincing emotions conveyed by actor, Jagtha Chamila in carrying every scene harkens back to Leonardo Di Caprio’s ground break turn as Arnie, the troubled challenged child in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. For this reason alone you should see, Sam’s Story.
Jagtha Chamila is a ‘triumph’, in Sam’s Story.
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada/Sri Lanka
Language: Singha
Production: 2011
Runtime: 94 minutes
Principal Cast: Jagtha Chamila, Nilmini Buwenake, Manik Kulakulasooriya, Sanath Goonatilake, Victor Ramanayake
Director: Priyankara Vittanachchi
Writers: Priyankara Vittanachchi, Pushpakumara Ellawela
Screenplay: Priyankara Vittanachchi, Pushpa Kumara Ellawala
T-Mak World: Toronto’s Site for Music, Movies and Culture
 |
| Get the T-Mak World Toolbar to get all the info you need |
