India:

Water (2005)

Taking place in the holy city of Valanasi in 1938, young Chuyia has just become a widow at 8 years old and is forced to live in an ashram with the other widows. 

This film focuses on the conditions that widows go through in India. Even with laws in place allowing widows to re-marry, there are still 33 million widows suffering form this ancient practice. The Hindu religion believes that once your husband dies, half of the wife dies with him. Therefor she is given 3 choices. Die with her husband, marry his brother, or live the rest of her life in seclusion in an ashram. 

Chuyia gets her head shaved, and dressed in white, she gets torn from her parents and forced to live in impoverished conditions. Begging on the streets for money just so they can survive. In the community, they are seen as outcasts and toxic. Some Hindu's even believe if they bump into them they are polluted and need to be purified. 

I view Chuyia as representing the independence India is going through. In the ashram her rebellious spirit inspires the other widows to view life differently. I feel her innocence allows her to question the faith openly. This sparks the events that unfold throughout the story. Showing the consequences and triumphs women are going through in India today. Although things have changed, they still have a long way to go in altering their culture.