Sita Sings the Blues DVD: Review By Talia S

India, the 20th century B.C. Sita is shunned by her husband, the king of Rama. Forced to go into exile in the forest, she nevertheless remains devoted to the man she loves. Four-thousand centuries later, Nina has a similar experience, albeit a modern-day version of Sita's fate. Her husband Dave, muted to India by his company, leaves her... with a simple email. Devastated, Nina has to face life on her own. The parallel between director/animator Nina Paley and Sita, a goddess in Indian mythology, is obvious. And in lieu of traditional therapy, the director adapts the famous Indian myth into a musical animation movie.

Awarded the Cristal for Best Film at the Annecy Festival and saluted at the 2008 Berlinale, Sita Sings The Blues mixes and matches different types of animation styles. It may all seem a bit confusing at the beginning, but we eventually differentiate between the different depictions. The Sita which resembles an Indian Betty Boop is the one who sings the blues of Annette Hanshaw, a poorly remembered songstress who sang about love and its sorrows like a nightingale. Her songs can be credited for the inception of this film, largely influencing Nina Paley as they reflected her broken heart. The film's originality also lies in its narration, told by three Indians who are not reading from a well-prepared script but totally improvising and giving their own take on Sita's story. It adds freshness and a humor that a traditional script would probably lack. It also provides balance with Hanshaw's lovely singing before it becomes tiring.

Sita Sings The Blues is overall a conceptual mix of ancient tragedy and modern comedy. We hope that Dave is beating himself over his ex-wife's success. But then again, the movie couldn't have been made without him.