Mean to me

Sita Sings the Blues

(2008)

The purpose behind this screening was to establish whether this is appropriate for my favorite 11-year-old, whom I always give a DVD for Xmas and her birthday. And I'm not sure: the source material, the Ramayana, is about the demigod Rama's ill treatment of his faithful and devoted wife based on his false suspicion of sexual infidelity after she has been kidnapped by his enemy. So you think: clearly not appropriate for an 11-year-old. Except, (1) the emphasis of Nina Paley's gorgeous animated film is not on sex but on love and cruelty and prefeminist female helplessness in the face of both, and (2) this is an exceptionally smart and mature 11-year-old.

So I'll run this past her mother, maybe have her take a look at the iffiest segments. The kid has to have this someday, because I have no doubt that she'll love it, but maybe it's a little early.