A circus troupe arrives in a small coastal village in Kerala and, after three days, resumes its travels. When the convoy arrives, the imperturbable undulation of the waves gives way to the excitement of the school children as they watch a modest circus tent being erected over a world of hoops, ropes, acrobats, musicians and animals. The camera ob- serves this series of undramatic events, banal episodes that, when fitted together, become charged with an ineffable magnetism. Shot after shot, we have the extraordinary feel- ing of seeing the reality and secret of each gesture spring into being then fade away within the same time span. Thampu is a sensation: one where we see in the “muted shots” a film becoming an allegory of cinema. JB
Restored print
