Yaanam (NR)

synopsis

Bharathan and Damodharan are two boatmen who take pride in their work, transporting goods along Kerala's elaborate network of waterways. Wooden sailboats such as theirs were once the lifeline of riverside dwellers, but the age-old trade is now threatened by alternative means of transport. The life is tough and traditional work is highly labor intensive - a reason for the strong Communist sympathies of the rural community. The men's encounters along their metaphorical journey progressively illustrate the end of an era, but used to a life of hardship, the boatmen never abandon hope.