Synopsis
On May 2, 2008, the cyclone Nargis raged over the south of Burma, wreaking massive destruction and taking the lives of more than 140,000 people. In Western news reports, the military regim's unwillingness to accept foreign aid got considerable attention. Nargis - When Time Stopped Breathing is an account of two teams of young Burmese filmmakers who went into the badly devastated Ayeyarwaddy Delta a week after the storm to allow survivors to tell their stories.
At a leisurely pace, the images speak for themselves: a wilderness of water and greenery that would be paradisiacal if not for the ravage of fallen trees, blown-away huts, and collapsed houses. People talk about the loved ones they lost: one man could no longer hold onto his wife and child and watched them get swept away by the water. There is hardly any rice or drinking water, but people are building new huts all over the place. From this badly stricken area, the filmmakers head to a city where there are many refugees, and then return to the delta with people who prefer their decimated village to a new, unknown place of refuge. Monks attempt to lend a hand and lead a prayer for the dead.
«A courageous film with lyrical beauty that transcends the drama of politics, society and people.» Utpal Borpujari, FIPRESCI Award Jury, Mumbai International Film Festival 2012
