Sanam

Rafi Pitts : 2000

In a small valley, riders pursue and kill a man. A horse thief, so his assassins claim. But for his ten-year-old son Issa, the disappearance of his father causes an avalanche of problems. With the family name stigmatised, Issa is bullied by the other children in the village. The father's death forces Issa's mother, Sanam, to abandon their home and the two move in with an aunt. Desperate to provide a life and future for her son, Sanam must consider marrying a man who could readily support the family, even though she knows she does not love him. While his mother fights to clear her husband's name, Issa is left to his own devices, and in his solitude, becomes obsessed with the horse that he insists belonged to his father. Rafi Pitts' award-winning second feature is a beautifully shot, poignant depiction of injustice and its aftermaths in a child's heart.