This article contains Editor Ernesto Carlin's comments on 'Period. End of Sentence,' a film that won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 91st Academy Awards.
The Oscar-winning short documentary tackles a taboo topic in India: menstruation.
According to data presented in the film, only 10% of women in India use sanitary pads, while the rest use old cloth to manage their menstruation, with the risk it poses to health.
The documentary tells the story of the project undertaken by Arunachalam Muruganantham, a man from rural India who invented a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine.
It was a wise decision not to focus on the curious story of this character but focus on the small community supporting his initiative.
'Period. End of Sentence' creators opted to tell the story of a group of women living in a village a few kilometers away from Delhi.
The film follows their dreams and worries. One of them is the fear of male chauvinism and, above all, of patriarchy.
The camera shoots scenes at different locations like schools, stores, and households.
In addition, the widespread poor knowledge of the topic is put on display with the phrase "menstruation is something that usually happens to women."
The movies teaches a lesson about a geographically distant reality that, in some aspects, reminds us of our society.
(END) ECG/RMB
Publicado: 7/5/2019