Four Women is a quartet of interconnected vignettes filmed from the stories of author Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai by Indian director Adoor Gopalakrishnan. With chapters entitled "The Prostitute," "The Virgin," "The Housewife" and "The Spinster," the film examines Indian society in the late 1940s (on the cusp of independence from Britain) through the circumstances of four female protagonists and the men, women and family in their lives.
The situations faced by the women vary. The husband and wife of "The Prostitute" are homeless and dirty poor, arrested for immoral conduct for sleeping outside on the same mat. They can't even prove to the court that they are married. But a modicum of prosperity brings no happiness to women who can't have children or find a husband. Four Women is a sympathetic, humane examination of people pursuing happiness in a society of rich depth but limited scope for individual initiative.
Four Women will be screened 6 p.m., March 22 at MATC's Downtown campus, Room S120 of the Student Center. Another film by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shadow Kill, will be screened 6:30 p.m., March 23 at MATC's Oak Creek campus Lecture Hall. The director will be present at both screenings to answer questions. The events are free and open to the public.
