River of Love

Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known as Mother or Ammachi, is one of India's living saints, beloved by her followers for her 30 years of tireless service to the poor and her compassionate message of unconditional love. River of Love, a docu-drama of Ammachi's life and work, is itself a labor of love, shot on a small budget supported through fundraising. The lingering camera shots and entrancing music of worldbeat and ambient pop artists Krishna Das, David Sylvian and Jai Uttal, evoke the experience of Ammachi's many followers who find themselves "swept into a river of Mother's divine love." The first half, a dramatization tracing the important periods in Ammachi's early life using nonprofessional actors plucked from Ammachi's village, includes an account of her difficult childhood where an intense spiritual devotion to Krishna led to severe punishment by her family and vilification by their neighbors. The second half takes a more traditional documentary approach, mixing interviews of followers and family members with contemporary footage of Ammachi in the ashram she founded in her Southern Indian village. More evocative than objective, River of Love nevertheless offers an intimate and compelling portrait of a contemporary religious figure. Recommended for most religious collections. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)