A wail of a documentary-like movie

John Depko

The film industry of India is known for its prolific output and

standard plots centering on historical epics or musical romance.

“Lesson One: A Wail” is a clear departure from this formula of

moviemaking. This documentary-like film presents a harsh look at a

dark reality of rural Indian life: the virtual selling of Muslim

teenage girls into forced marriage and sexual slavery.

The story centers on a beautiful and intelligent 15-year-old girl who excels in her studies at school. One by one, the underage female

students disappear from her class as their parents force them into

early marriages with traditional Muslim men. They will not allow a

woman to pursue an education or any other activity without their

permission. She watches the unhappy fate of her friends as they must

become totally submissive to the whims of their brutish husbands.

When her own parents follow the village custom and arrange her

marriage as the second wife of a much older man, she rebels in every

way she can. Her painful uphill battle against this age-old practice

is the centerpiece of the screenplay.

This simple film is a scathing indictment of the woman-hating

attitudes and ritual abuse perpetrated by Indian men on thousands of

young women every year. While it lacks the sophistication of American

production values, its stark subject matter is sure to be

controversial in its native India.

“Wail” is in native Indian languages subtitled in English. It

screens at noon today at the Edwards Island 5.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.