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•• Foreign Film Edition ••
SUTOPAR THIKANA (HER OWN ADDRESS) 
[2015, BANGLADESH - Bengali]

Sutopar Thikana, an adaptation of independent film-maker Proshoon Rahman’s own book (Ishhorer Ichhe Nei Boley), delves into the Muslim Bangaldeshi women's position in the patriarchal society, where their fate solely lies in the hands of the men in their lives. Sutopar (Aparna Ghosh) the eponymous role, goes through different four stages in her life where she finds herself succumbing to her fate as a woman.

Her carefree childhood quickly is jolted and dragged her apart from the comfort of her parents' care when she reaches adolescence, deemed old enough to be married. Subjected to a rather demeaning "interview" process, Sutopar reluctantly completes but passes with flying colors to be the wife of an educated man (Jayanta Chatterjee) from a well-off family. Indisposed to the new conditions living with dutiful deference as the daughter-in-law, Sutopar nevertheless learns and masters her tasks and chores in no time. When her husband gets his own place in the city, Sutopar's "address" changes again, however this time to seemingly brighter prospects, where she gets to indulge in the privacy and affections as a young couple. Soon they are bestowed with a child, but it isn't long before her loving husband passes away, forcing her to vacate their apartment and move in with her brother.

Unable to take charge of her life, left helpless with her late husband's depleting pension funds to raise a son, Sutopar's life soon switches again from the hands of her brother to her now grown-up son (Shahadat Hossain), who convinces her to let him use her late husband's property to set up his own business. Sutopar's fate of never ever having an "address" to call her own continues, until one day she finds herself boarding a train with an unknown destination, coming to a realization about making decisions for herself and nothing else. 

Released on Mother's Day and a tribute to womanhood of South Asia, Her Own Address is the National Grant winner Bangladeshi Feature Film. Though thought provoking with a profound message of women empowerment, a calling for women to take charge of their own lives before ending up as powerless nomads, the film unfortunately lacks strength in its deliverance, having to rely heavily on narration and its soundtrack. Ghosh delivers a competent performance transitioning from the young, spirited Sutopar to a helpless old woman finding herself traveling aimlessly in a train. A heartwarming film about a woman longing for a permanent "address" to call her own, director Rahman gives an adequate film infused with simplicity and honest exposition of the everyday lives of the middle-income in Bangladesh.

Rating: C+

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