2024 August 6 - My Thoughts on the Video Clip - Veil in between - by Mahesh Haris

 The film - “Veil in between”

The first thought that came to my mind while watching the movie clip “Veil in between” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHIPz3Z_qdM) by Mahesh Haris, was the song that I had very fondly listened to in the sixties and still fond of singing. It is the famously popular song - “Sannaliyane” (The Weaver) that Mahagama Sekara had written, and Maestro Amaradeva had sung. The theme of the song is a “saluwa” (a shawl) and had been based on a poem “Indian Weavers” written by the famous Indian poet Sarojinee Naidoo.

The song “Sannaliyane” and the film the “Veil in between” is an artistic expression and an adaptation of the general concept of life, its reality, its emptiness, and the journey through its diverse phases, using the artistic media of music and film. The song “Sannaliyane” focuses on different periods of the day, while asking the weaver for whom the shawl is stitched, the film “Veil in between” focuses on different epochs of life itself. The movie starts with a dress a young child wears, and a sewing machine used for stitching that dress, both being brand new. It denotes the charm and the joyfulness of a new life, a new day.

The film depicts life in its distinct phases passing through infancy, toddlerhood, early childhood, late childhood, becoming a youth, the search for a shared life, and finally passing away. The film signifies these divergent phases skilfully and in an extremely artistic style, but in a very sophisticated way. The first veil, a brand-new dress of a child and the new sewing machine represents the beginning (birth) of life. Those items become a dress of a youngster, and a machine used over time, but represent the youthfulness and joyfulness of life.

Then appear a dress of a more matured person and a slightly worn-out machine, symbolising the end of the youthfulness of life. Before the end, the dilapidated dress with no life wearing it and a corroded and rusty machine denote the end of life and of the machine both. Finally, both end up being in a cemetery like environment. With the passing of life, the movie reminds us of the demise of life, its gloominess and distress and the sadness that remains within the minds of those living. Throughout the film, Javier Navarrete reinforces the message of the movie through his melancholic music, by providing an intense feeling of gloom, sadness, loss, and despair, very appropriate for the content the film depicts.

The song “Sannaliyane” illustrates this phenomenon by its lyrics about the smiling faces and the passion with which the weaver stitches the dress, but that does not last long. Their mood turns sour, with faces having become withered with hands trembling to find it difficult to weave the dress further. Beautiful lyrics illustrate the birth, marriage, and death of a life, though ironically by telling us about the impermanence of life. The three main characteristics of everything in universe, the coming into being, the existence and the destruction.

It is about change that is irreversible, ending up with death and destruction. Is not that the reality that we are experiencing in so many places in the world including Gaza, Ukraine, Bangladesh etc. etc. Destruction and death are unavoidable and constants in life.

In short, the film symbolically and sensitively depicts the impermanence and shortness of life, the phenomenon that everything in the universe comes to an end. Nothing lasts forever. Impermanence constantly continues over time, from the beginning into the ever-distant future. Something that we all need to be aware of and kept in our thoughts always in a world where everyone is prepared and made to compete for survival without thinking of the other, the planet and the universe.

We always knew you are such a clever and talented artist when we came to see your arts exhibition, a long time ago. We are incredibly proud to have you as a family friend. You have set an amazing example that will be difficult for any filmmaker to follow.

Congratulations on your incredible effort, skilfulness, and the artistic success!

Lionel Bopage