MARCHING IN THE DARK - Kinshuk Surjan
MARCHING IN THE DARK
Year:
2024
Length:
105 minutes
Logline:
In a rural region in India, suffering from climate change and a high suicide rate amongst farmers, a group of resilient women farmers who recently lost their husbands, is coming together with a local psychologist. In this group, a young female farmer, Sanjeevani, finds the courage to overcome her grief, tackle social taboos and eventually help other distressed women farmers in a deeply patriarchal society.
Synopsis:
In the drought-struck Latur district of Maharashtra (India) it hasn’t rained in three years. Chemical farming introduced during the 1960’s has led to the elimination of the micro-nutrients from the soil and the disappearance of traditional ways of agriculture. Furthermore, farmers get a very low price for their harvest due to exploitative market systems, pushing farmers into a bottomless well of debt and destitution. Around 12.000-14.000 farmers die by suicide every year. Amidst this situation, a group of 15 aggrieved female farmers who recently lost their husbands have taken a pledge with Dr. Potdar, a local psychologist and activist, to help each other – what they went through alone, shouldn’t happen to anyone else in their villages. Connected through a shared pain of losing a loved one, they gather together every weekend to learn about identifying the signs of depression in their communities.
Two years ago Sanjeevani (28) felt helpless and betrayed and wanted to follow the same path as her deceased husband. Today she is determined to step out of the house again and to let her grief behind. Although her orthodox family-in-law thinks she should spend the rest of her life at home to take care of her household and children, through the meetings with Dr. Potdar and the friendships she builds with other women, she finds the courage to secretly take an exam and finish her education. Mental health is a taboo in India and Dr. Potdar is referred to by the villagers as a doctor for the ‘crazy’, but the women are determined. They take time off from their children, domestic work and farms and travel immense distances every weekend to learn about coming to terms with their own grief. The classroom, which began strictly as a ‘training session’ to learn about depression, is evolving into a safe space for questioning orthodox traditions; for being vulnerable and sharing their emotions. Here, these women feel a rare sense of joy and solidarity in the reassuring handclasp of newfound companions. Sanjeevani, who has never raised her voice, is learning to speak up to anyone going through depression. By completing her education secretly, paying a part of her husband’s debt and overcoming her fear to speak in public about depression, she is doing whatever it might take to move on and ensure that her kids do not follow in the footsteps of their deceased father.
The film tracks Sanjeevani’s journey with her fellow comprendes as they gather courage to stay resilient and help other distressed women farmers in a deeply patriarchal society. MARCHING IN THE DARK zooms in on the inevitable emancipation of young Indian women in a rural area threatened by climate change and unregulated markets.
credits:
A film by Kinshuk Surjan
with Sanjeevani Bhure
Produced by Clin d’Oeil Films (Evelien de Graef, Hanne Phlypo), in co-production with SNG Film (Digna Sinke) and NoCut Film Collective (Arya Rothe)
cinematography: Leena Patoli, Carl Rottiers, Vishal Vittal
sound: Puneet Dwivedi, Imtiyaz Jumnalka
editing: Joëlle Alexis
sound design & mix: Mark Glynne, Olmo van Straalen
In co-production with VRT, VOO en Be tv, and Shelter Prod
With the support of Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government, Taxshelter.be en ING, New Dawn, Netherlands Film Fund (NFF), Belgian Development Cooperation (DGD), Film and Audiovisual Center of Wallonia Brussels Federation, Creative Europe MEDIA, DMZ Docs Fund, InMaat Foundation, Pascal Decroos Fund, Stichting Filip Decock, La Scam – Brouillon d’un rêve, La Culture avec la Copie Privée, deAuteurs, RITCS, VUB