Film: Vanajah

Thursday, November 8, 2007, 7:30 p.m. at the Brooks Museum Auditorium, 1934 Poplar Avenue

Set in rural South India, a place where social barriers are built stronger than fort walls, Vanajah explores the chasm that divides classes as a young girl struggles to come of age. When a soothsayer tells Vanajah, the 14-year-old daughter of a poor fisherman, that she will be a great dancer one day, Vanajah's hopes are ignited. Determined, she goes to work in the household of the local landlady, who was once a Kuchipudi dancer in her own right. Matters go well, and Vanajah is on a steadily ascending path, when Shekhar, the landlady's son, returns from the US. What begins as innocent sexual chemistry suddenly turns ugly. Matters spiral downward, propelling Vanajah on a journey from which there is only one exit.

Cost: $5 for museum members; $7 for non-members. Tickets are available at the door, or purchase in advance at http://www.brooksmuseum.org or by calling 901-544-6208.