Sumptuously photographed in the dramatic landscapes of central Kerala, master film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan tells of an aged hangman Kaliyappan and the customs that have developed around his deadly trade. It is 1941, the free India campaign is in full flow and the first waves of change are being felt in the village where Kaliyappan lives. His son is on a Gandhian anti-death sentence protest. The old man is ill, troubled by thoughts of the many men he has executed. He prays to the goddess Kali to take his sins away while the local villagers feed off the power he invokes, even the execution rope is ritually burnt as a cure all. Finally the day Kaliyappan has dreaded comes, he must perform another execution. Preparations are made, but on the night before the execution he discovers a terrible twist of justice.

Cary Rajinder Sawhney

Regus London Film Festival Screenings

Thu 14 Nov 18.30 - Odeon West End screen 1
Fri 15 Nov 16.00 - Odeon West End screen 1
Sun 17 Nov 16.00 - Tricycle Cinema

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