Kolkata: Chosen for a gene therapy trial, two octogenarians in a hospice slowly start to de-age to being 20-year-olds while retaining the memories of being 80-year-olds. That was the theme of Hanna Västinsalo’s “Palimpsest” which was screened by Jadavpur University’s School of Media, Communication and Culture in collaboration with the university’s film studies department.Hanna, who was on her first visit to Kolkata, was happy with the interactive session about ageing post the film’s screening.
The Finnish film had premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
Before the JU screening, it also represented Finland at the European Union Film Festival — India that was held in Delhi. Amites Mukhopadhyay, director, School of Media, Communication and Culture, JU, said, “The session started with the questions from the audience concerning how age could also be understood differently. There was some discussion about biological clock vis-a-vis social clock etc.”
Many were intrigued by the theme of how given a second chance at love, lust and life, with the memories of their past life intact, the protagonists of the film tried to find their place in a new world that has left them behind. “They asked me if we are destined to repeat the mistakes that we have always done and are we destined to be the same person even if we are given a choice to start from the beginning,” she said.
Interestingly, the director said the questions about the film varied according to the culturescape of the screening. In Europe, the questions were more to do with the female sexuality aspect of the film. Family is very important here in Kolkata. So, the questions, she said, were more to do one’s place in society and what is going to happen if one breaks from that place.
Speaking about the contemporary Finnish film industry, Hanna highlighted the benefit of the Finnish government completely or partially funding many films. Her producer, Cyril Abraham, said the Finnish Film Foundation is very open and liberal. “A lot of Finnish film-makers have been going outside Finland, getting educated and bringing that experience back to make films,” he said.
Hanna and he had met at American Film Institute in Los Angeles. “We have a lot of Finnish alumni from the institute. That is improving both the technical and story-telling aspect of Finnish cinema,” Abraham said.