Fashionably Late: Sita Sings the Blues (2008)

I am honestly surprised I did not hear about this movie beforehand. How did my group of friends in high school that wanted to become animators not know about this? Independent animated films are essentially their own genre that happens to be my favorite one. Something about them how they can do whatever story they want, how they want, in whatever medium really makes them amazing. There is almost no rules or audience they have to abide with. Sita Sings the Blues is a good example of that.

Sita Sings the Blues is an adaptation of the Indian epic, The Ramayana. The story of Sita and her husband, Rama, is told through multiple styles of animation and music by Annette Hanshaw. On the side, the animator, Nina Paley, shares her story of her divorce with her husband. The two stories are compared to one another with old and modern elements. This film is also free! That's right, you can go on YouTube and watch it and not get in trouble for it! Isn't that nice?

I was worried I would not be a fan of the animation. Most of it is flash which I am not a huge fan of. Often times it feels cheap and rushed when done incorrectly. However, this films switches between multiple styles in such a creative way that it looks wonderful. This isn't the greatest animation ever put in film, but it is certainly the most inspired. What makes the difference is the overall design. It is pure eye-candy. The characters and environment are so beautiful that it is impossible to become disengaged from what is happening. Nina Paley obviously had a hell of a time making this with such great attention to detail.

With the integration of the 1920's music, I didn't mind so much as others might. The one thing is that there is a lot of songs in this film and honestly there could have been less. Some of the songs were similar to one another and sometimes felt long. However, I have to give credit for combining a Indian folktale with 1920's jazz music. Something about it made the two fit together wonderfully and gave the story a fun twist.

Some parts of the film did seem long or repetitive. After a while, you do get lost into this world the animator created. It is a story I can definitely sympathize with as it hits on a very personal level. On a side note about this movie being free, I think that is a great idea. I don't think that all movies should become public domain, but more should. Though it would be difficult for the artists to gain profits it would definitely help them spread their name around. If you ever have time I would definitely give this a watch and help those that made it.

Grade: A