Maya

This social issue movie, beautifully shot in the extraordinary landscapes of rural India, follows the adolescence of the tomboy heroine (Shetty). Maya's parents are too poor to bring her up, so she finds security in her aunt's middle-class family, only to be rudely returned when she produces her first menstrual blood. The ensuing horrific events - namely, her initiation ceremony - are reputedly still common in the rural regions. They certainly come as a shock. The preparatory passages seem inadequate in this context, and offer too many mixed messages. Shame, for the performances are often touching and revealing.