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‘The Adamant Girl’ Review: P.S. Vinothraj Delivers a Radical Exploration of Gendered Traditions
With 'The Adamant Girl,' Indian director P.S. Vinothraj returns with another stunning social drama.
A story of a betrothed woman being shepherded by her fiancé’s family between sites of religious ritual, the rural Tamil-language drama plays like an extension of “Pebbles,” Vinothraj’s remarkable 2021 debut in which an abusive, alcoholic husband and his young son traverse a harsh terrain on foot to retrieve his fleeing wife. Vinothraj, in his exploration of gender, tosses a wide net over rural Indian society, analyzing numerous different family dynamics, including that of Meena’s own parents, who bite their tongues and go along with their in-laws’ planned exorcism scheme. Although Meena doesn’t speak — in fact, she makes an effort to barely emote or react — Vinothraj’s unyielding focus on her eyes and her subtle reactions creates a world of interiority, which few of the characters in her vicinity choose to see.
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