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Nisha Pahuja’s documentary “To Kill a Tiger” begins with a striking image: a 13-year-old girl braids her hair in close-up while her father recounts, in a heartbreaking voice-over, how she was raped by three men. Pahuja had planned to mask the girl’s face in post-production, but when Kiran (her pseudonym in the film) saw footage of her at age 18, she decided to reveal herself in the film. It is a defiant gesture on her part, to reject the cloak of shame.
“To Kill a Tiger” is a film packed with such invigorating challenge. Follows Kiran and her parents, living in a village in northeast India, as they seek justice with the help of activists from Srijan Foundation, an advocacy organization. Interviews with other villagers reveal the tribal and deeply patriarchal values that ensnare Kiran. Both men and women berate her for her supposed irresponsibility and blatantly suggest that she marry one of her rapists to restore her “honor” and the harmony of her people.
Kiran and his family are heroes, but this is not a simple story of heroism. The film lays bare the uncomfortable and inadequate paths available to survivors seeking justice. Is the long experience that pushes the family into debt and forces Kiran to repeatedly repeat his trauma making a difference? Is it worth a fight that pits the family against the entire community? Does imprisoning perpetrators offer any real relief to the victim or disrupt the patriarchy?
“To Kill a Tiger” offers no easy answers. But by staying close to Kiran’s father, who refuses to let her daughter bow her head, and the girl, who speaks with hope and stony confidence, one thing becomes clear: the revolution begins at home.
kill a tiger
Not qualified. In Hindi, with subtitles. Duration: 2 hours 5 minutes. On cinemas.