Earth

Based on the novel Cracking India by Bapsi Sidwha, the second film in Deepa Mehta's "elements" trilogy (which began with Fire--see DVD review on pg. 54) is a shattering historical drama set in the city of Lahore in 1947. The impending exit of Great Britain, and the apocalyptic partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan is viewed from the privileged perspective of pampered 8-year-old "Lenny-baby" (Maia Sethna), whose wealthy and neutral Parsee family is--initially--spared the horrific ethnic violence wrought by the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs who had lived peacefully for centuries. Taking its cue from Casablanca, the film charts a triangle between Lenny's beloved Hindu nanny Shanta (Nandita Das) and two Muslim suitors, the nicknamed Ice Candy Man, who is transformed into a vengeful madman when his sisters are slaughtered, and the devout Hassan, a caring masseur. The film's harrowing conclusion and tragic coda (we are informed that more than a million people were killed and nearly ten million more were uprooted during the British withdrawal) remind us of Casbalanca's Rick telling Ilsa, "the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world." Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)