Single Palm Tree review: Hard-hitting saga on the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war

The civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] lasted for about 26 years. Fed up with the kind of treatment meted out to the minority Tamilian population in Sri Lanka by the majority Sinhalese, the LTTE demanded a separate state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka and used force to achieve their motive.  

This resulted in the death of over 1,00,000 people. The war finally ended in May 2009 when the Sri Lankan Army killed the chief of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Director and actor Puthiyavan Rasiah’s Single Palm Tree is based on the aftermath of the war and the lifelong wounds, both physical and emotional, inflicted on the Tamil population; some of whom had nothing to do with the war in the first place.

Single Palm Tree looks at three people belonging to the war-torn Kilinochchi village in Sri Lanka and stranded as refugees.

Sundaram [Rasiah] has had a dark past because of the war. But that doesn’t deter him from helping the needy and being ready to form a rebellious outfit against the government and the Sri Lankan army. He is the father of a mentally retarded girl Ajathika aka Aja [Ajathika Puthiyavan].

Kasthoori’s [Navayuga] world has crumbled after her husband is killed in the war. Pained by her condition, Sundaram treats Kasthoori like a member of his family. She, in turn, takes care of Aja while Sundaram is busy in his rebellion. The village folks, however, start spreading gossip about Sundaram and Kasthoori.

Although Single Palm Tree revolves around the devastating war, it doesn’t feature scenes of the war. The film looks at how the whole idea of a civil war at a more intimate and humane level through the lives of three pained souls.

The film offers a glimpse into the painful lives of these three and various other individuals in an overwhelmingly realistic manner. The devastated land, depleted houses and the costumes of the actors give the film a very docu-drama feel. But this doesn’t mean that the film becomes boring in any way. The fast screenplay with smooth transition between events keeps you glued.

The only problem area is the angle of an old woman who thrives on gossip. Her transformation is too filmi for us to be completely convinced. Apart from that, the climax also moves on predictable lines.

There is no denying that Single Palm Tree takes sides in favour of the Tamilian population of Sri Lanka. But as the story is based on the hardships faced by these individuals due to the war, it won’t be correct to accuse it of being biased.

Through these rural characters, the film also makes a bold statement in terms of relationships without being preachy whatsoever. Generally one would expect people like Sundaram to consider Kasthoori as his sister or sister-in-law just to ensure that the society doesn’t look at their relationship suspiciously. However, they do nothing of that sort and the two also don’t budge despite the rumours going on about them.

Single Palm Tree is a rare film to use live music as the background score. There is no denying that this helps in positively impacting some of the scenes. However, there are moments when there was no need for the continuous score.

The performances are straight out of reality. Apart from directing the film, Puthiyavan Rasiah delivers a tremendously natural performance. The scene where he is tortured nude by the army is the defining moment of his act. Ajathika Puthiyavan and Navayuga are like actual refugees. They live the pain in every frame.

Overall, Single Palm Tree is a daring effort that shows the dark side of the Sri Lankan history.