Vaughn On Movies – The World's Toughest Movie Critic™

*Sita Sings the Blues will be playing at the 2008 Tallgrass Film Festival*

It seems that each year an increasing amount of computer animated films are produced. So many of them seek to achieve a life-like appearance through rendering photo-realistic textures. Still, the artists adheretoward making the characters purposefully less real. The evolution of effects always presents a new film toting credentials making predecessors obsolete. I’m getting tired of these films-by-committee, which use technology to cover-up a lack of story.

To give a synopsis on Sita Sings the Blues, is quite the challenge. It is at heart a unique interpretation on the tale of Ramayana, a romantic story from India. It features Sita a goddess/princess and her husband Rama. Sita is the epitome of perfection. Eventually her beauty leads to the villainous Ravana kidnapping her for his own design. Rama is then given the task of plotting her rescue. This story of ancient-days has a modern-day parallel seen through the relationship of Nina and Dave. Whereas Sita is captured, Dave is given a job in India; far from his home of San Francisco. Then of course Nina is left to devise his rescue.

Sita Sings the Blues is artistically unique. There must be between five to ten different animation techniques used across the movie. I feel the need to further explain the chaotic animation of the film for people who may feel jarred by the stylization. It is obvious that computers have become and aid to Nina Paley, otherwise she would be unable to obtain auteur status as the director (amongst a slew of other roles) of this film. This isn’t a film constructed through traditional animation, but it doesn’t utilize the complex renderings of the computer generated films which audiences are accustomed. Her work in Sita takes the emphasis away from the computer’s interpretation of reality and focuses the tool on aiding her style. The result is characters who appear completely different across layers of the narrative while retaining a level of recognition.

Sita’s appearance changes depending on whether she is being described through narration, or if she is singing. Her singing voice is provided by Annette Hanshaw, a deceased vocalist of the ‘20s. This wouldn’t be the first animated feature to utilize music, though is does seem like it has been a while. Instead of risking the use of untried tunes, these hits from a time capsule augment the action with an approach at culture blending.

We are so used to seeing films with all-knowing characters explaining flat facts to us. The majority of the time in which I see a piece utilize voice-over, I feel that the screenwriter copped out; that the screenplay wasn’t comprehendible otherwise. If a voice-over is going to be used, it needs to be creative. I am willing to confess my lack of knowledge in Indian lore was cause for holding my hand through the narrative, but the fun conveyed through Sita’s trio of god-like historians is truly worth the inclusion. Their dueling interpretations confuse the graphics causing subtitles to alter on the fly. The oddest thing about it all is that it doesn’t get old because you never know what they are going to say next. It’s one of the better attempts at comedy I’ve seen in a while.

Sita Sings the Blues stretches its story. The total run time is ten minutes short of an hour and a half; and this was even with the inclusion an intermission. The runtime may discourage those who equate time with quality when judging where to spend their money. It doesn’t directly appeal toward children. The violence isn’t graphic only because of the limits to which it is brought to life and the fun nature of presentation. Neither Disney/Pixar or Dreamworks have ever produced scenes featuring geysers of blood; but the depiction of such in this film is of only the concern to the most protective of parents. To those and other parents, I would still recommend this film. Each aspect of Sita Sings the Blues separates itself from the crowd and such a bold statement deserves compensation. ***½