HBO Film Tonight on Nepal’s Revolution: Woman Rebel
Posted by Mike E on August 18, 2010
This review appears on The Unrepentant Marxist, and was recommended by JP. A synopsis is also available.
by Louis Proyect
“Woman Rebel” will be shown on HBO—of all places—on August 18 at 8pm and repeated on August 26 at 11:45am. This 45 minute documentary on “Silu”, a battalion commander of the Nepalese Maoist guerrillas, is a reminder that other television networks have stepped in to fill the void created by PBS after the Bush administration turned it into an arm of the “war on terror”. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, shows like Frontline and POV continue to serve the war aims of an out of control national security state.
HBO, the home of Tony Soprano and Larry David, has shown its mettle by airing a sympathetic documentary about one of the world’s least covered liberation movements. Even for an unrepentant Marxist like me, this glimpse into the motives and personality of a woman warrior was eye-opening. Except for the written word, my only exposure to the Nepalese freedom-fighters has been an altogether charming rendition of The Internationale on Youtube.
Silu was born Uma Bhujel into a desperately poor farming family in the Gorkha District, where her father worked the fields of a rich landlord. Her sister Kumari was married off at the age of 12 to a man who beat her constantly. After finding life intolerable, she went off into the woods and hung herself. Uma joined the Maoists at the age of 18 and rose to the level of commander. After the Maoists entered the peaceful and legal political arena, she became a representative to the constituent assembly.
She tells her story in a soft-spoken and undramatic fashion, allowing the power of her story itself to draw the listener in. In some ways, she reminds me very much of Rigoberta Menchu, the Guatemalan indigenous peasant leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.
While Silu was fighting to topple the monarchy, her brother was serving in the Royal Army. Her brother, mother and father are interviewed as well. One of the most affecting moments in the film involves Silu telling the interviewer what she would have done if she had come face to face with her brother in combat. It takes three cuts for her to compose herself sufficiently to say that she would have had to follow her party’s agenda, even if that meant fratricide. Considering what happened to her sister, it is understandable why Maoist rebels, including the forty percent of the ranks who were women, would not let anything get in their way.
Kudos to HBO for scheduling this hard-hitting documentary and kudos as well to director Kiran Deol, a young female film-maker who demonstrates once again that the greatest drama today is found in real-life rather than in fiction.
Timo said
I don’t see it on HBOs schedule http://www.hbo.com/#/schedule?cmpid=ABC288
jp said
it’s listed on hbo2
eric ribellarsi said
can people record this? it’d be important to get a good digital copy of this. I don’t have cable.
Christos said
I agree with Eric, I think it would be good if someone could make it available for d/l from mediafire, rapidshare or something like that for those who cannot access it!
Hari said
Uma Bhujel aka Silu is also one among the first six courageous nepalese revolutionary women who managed to break Gorkha Jail in 2001 and it is believed that she provided leadership to the jail breakers team.
eric ribellarsi said
also, what is the time zone on these times?
Radical Eyes said
So…Did anyone see the film last night? Unfortunately, I was not able to. (No HBO where I am staying this week.)
jp said
i only got to watch the last 10 minutes or so – family reconciliation scenes; moving talk with Silu’s parents. …a postscript talked about the maoists pulling out of the assembly. looked quite good to be seen on a major cable station. hope to see it in its entirety.
Mike E said
i saw it. it was (imho) quite remarkable — with breathtaking footage (including of battles during the peoples war) and interviews with a leading woman Maoist and her poor peasant family.
For uninformed viewers, it gave a very sweeping sense of this revolutionary struggle, without getting bogged down in endless details. And it presents itself as a view of an unfinished revolution — where the people have risen for much needed change, but where their hopes and needs are not yet resolved. And you are left wanting to know….. what happens now (to these people, to this movement, to that country).
I think it is worth finding ways to promote and circulate this.
Timo said
http://womanrebelfilm.com/
The web site seems a little unfinished, but I am sure they will eventually update it(there is currently no press kit, and only shows one old screening from April).
eric ribellarsi said
looks like it will be released on DVD. That cover is epic.
Hannie Schaft said
I thought it was amazing and moving. I was especially touched by the story of her sister. While I certainly approve of the film’s content, I sort of wish they had given more “policy content.” We saw that arranged marriages were a form of slavery, but I wanted to hear more about actual feminist policies being advocated by the Maoists. We heard Suli saying that there was equality in the army, and we saw her say that she was fighting for women’s equality, but we didn’t hear about how the Maoists ran things differently. But overall I was blown away.
eric ribellarsi said
This is now being posted on the mainstream feminist blog, Jezebel. Holy shit.
http://jezebel.com/5616048/a-female-rebellion-for-real
observer said
I saw it earlier today. Here’s a heads up: If you have HBO on a cable system, like Comcast, that has an “On Demand” feature, this film is available On Demand any time day or night until Sept. 13.
Green Red said
Since People of the Shining Path where women political prisoners and, other things were shown it’s been long i have not seen anything so great.
I agree with Eric and others. Please bootleg or whatever it and post it somewhere and keep us informed. some day we could go then to somewhere with DSL and watch it.
thanks