"NIUMA" Maldivian Film Directed By a Female Director

Movie:   Niuma (Maldivian Film)

Movie analysis by Shaneeza mariyam J09006281

The Movie is about: There's a secret in every closet.
Plot outline: This intense, part psychological drama centers around Niuma (Niuma) who finds her home rather than tranquil, a living hell as she fights to stay sane against the most unlikeliest of evil she could ever imagine. This film also marks the first directorial effort by national award winning acting sensation, Niuma Mohamed.
Directed by:  Niuma Mohamed Feminism cinema theory: Women and man should have equal rights and Equity between their social role and other wants.   In This Movie the victim Niuma and her mother are not given any opportunity to express their feelings. They have to follow whatever Niuma’s father does. He abused her Child since she was only 5 years. And her mother knows about it. And She is scared of her husband even though he was doing very wrong. Every time she asks him to stop abusing their daughter he slaps on her face and he is violently repeating it by time to time. Even Niuma is not allowed to have friends and she is not allowed to talk a boy either. And if she is not allowed to continue her studies. when she try to escape from  there is a wide long shot.  Lighting is more like natural, to show that is daytime. Wide shot is to make suspense, and audience may have a quick dilemma, that what is going to happen next.   After 50 second she felt down and found her father in front. And here it shows a close up and this camera angle is to show the anger. Whatever the father, and her brother does, mother dint do anything; she gets angry when Niuma asks her to make it stop.  But later Niuma stands against her mother and keep scolding her. This camera angle and shot is created to show the conversation between two parties, and Niuma’s facial expression. Even the audience can feel sad and disappointed emotions, of her mother.  Female Director plus Actress (Niuma) She made these kind of scenes to create awareness to raise voice against the child abuse and domestic violence among those cultures where child mishandling, rape, violence cases are hidden.  Female director has tried to shape awareness to feminism among young males. In anothe scene, victim’s eldest brother’s best friend who had crush on Niuma. And he proposed her. Later he found that she is being abusing from her very young age by her own brother and her father. But still this guy keep on trying to make Niuma as his girl friend and he tried to convince her how to get ride of her father’s violent evil arms. This part of the movie has showed the youth that victims should be given a chance to live happily and they should have been given courage to report about the abuse case. This camera angle shows the empathy he feels to niuma, but niuma gave this expression to show that she cannot trust any man. As related to feminism theory, Niuma’s boy friend had trouble in reporting this case because he found that Numa’s father is very respectable rich person in that village and he is being v religious and very socialized helpful person in the community. Female Director has showed the hierarchy feminism. Just because this guy is rich and community respectable person, so people around him do not have the guts to report it or either to ask him to stop it.   In another scene Niuma’s Brother (Yoosuf Shafeeu) feels pity about his one and only own sister. And the pain that she always try to hide is busted to his wife Sheela Najib. Niuma’s brother and sister in law ( She is crying, asking him to make his father’s  to stop his evil behavior) Normaly in this movie director has this kind of camera angles to show the feelings and emotions of the actress. And two person in the frame to make it more influential and connected to the audience. The lighting is spot lighted to Sheela’s face to show how much she cared about the situation and how scared she is. Here it comes one of the most social issue among mostly Asian which we found from ages ago, and no one blames.  I n this movie Sheela found that Niuma is living in very helpless darken situation; she forced her husband to stop it. But all the right is given to his father and he is afraid of his father, and he wanted to keep their families reputation by hiding this evil truth. In this part Director has given a message to public, that the reputation of family are not less important than women’s right. And later Yoosuf Shafeeu’s wife, she stands against it very strongly and she left the house and moved to her own place. That makes her husband to do something about his father and his brother. Sheela has hold on it so tight, to make him believe that Niuma deserves a better life.  And his father and his brother must get punished. sheAs a result he managed to try that, but he failed two times, and every time his wife gives him courage to win it. With the help of him Niuma and her mother stand against those two who raped Niuma. Even though no one had the guts to report.  But Niuma cannot hold her anger, and she killed her father before reporting police. Shot1 ( brother is trying to rape her) shot2 (she is raped ) Shot 1, is a wide shot to show that he is trying to rape her, even though she is trying to escape.  Camera angle shows that he don’t care about it and he is too into it. Shot 2, it shows how she felt after she is being raped by her own brother. This shot shows the audience that she is hurt and helpless. Basically the weakness of women. Again the light is natural to make it believe it is v realistic. After he is beaten and killed Niuma herself went to police station and reported it. This Angle and camera movements make the audience to judge what she is doing is correct or wrong. Director shows a wide shot from her back and then this medium close-up from in front. She never showed the police station. So her cinema technique is to create suspense. And the lightings make the make up more realistic.  ( she is going to the police station) This wide shot and the lightings are make it feel that it’s midnight and she killed her father at this silence hour. And the wid shot is to show the police station and to make the audience more clear about what she is doing. In these areas Director has convinces that, Women’s weakness’ is something they hold on. And Niuma has been holding her weakness for so long. After a great influence of her brother and sister-in –law, she changed her belief and moved on.  Female director has played a great role to make awareness of sexual harassments. And in Maldives 1 person per 3 is a victim of Domestic violence or sexual abuses. So the female Director has played a very important role in letting the locked doors open. And also it has opened a gateway to reveille what ever happens behind those locked doors. Director has pictured realism in cinemas. Movie is based on feminism and she has tried to prove that women should have the freedom of decision-making and women should not be dependable to those kinds of husbands or fathers. “ Millions of innocent lives are better than one man”. Director has mainly focused on extra close-up shots to show the victims fear for, her father, mother, and another brother who raped her. And it gives impact to society to feel sympathy towards victims.  And the lightings setup kept the object dark to make it scary. And it gives impact of a realism situation to the audience.