Tristen Rodriguez Thursday, April 01, The trilogy follows the life of a boy named Apu. We witness his emotional, mental, and physical growth toil in grief, tragedy, happiness, selfishness, ambition, and love. However, as much as the films are about him they are also about the dynamics of parental relationships and responsibilities.
This ultimate purpose is, quite obviously, difficult to comprehend but in his effort I find solace that the search for unadulterated joy is the closest answer he could get to. It begins with Pather Panchali. In its essence, it is a story of Poverty wedged in between childhood and parenting. Within this down to earth, God honest, reflection and observation of the innocence of happiness within childhood, is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Pather Panchali is a poignant reminder to us in times of dire desperation that therein lies hope.
And to never take for granted what little we may seem to have. Because when we fail to recognize joy, we leave ourselves aching with melancholy. The second film is Aparajito, which observes Apu in his adolescence. Aparajito is a subdued emotional trip of toil, gripped with regret, selfishness, love, and the existential dealings of losing a loved one, whether through death or through life.
Because the death of a loved one will always serve as a reminder of what one had and or what one would have had if different choices were made. It is here where true catharsis is achieved. Where the search for joy finally meets its end.
Life upholds a precarious and delicate balance of tragedy and happiness. Within this balance is a path that leads to hope, depression, excitement, regret, and love. The tenets of this path are eventualities of life. These things shape us, they make us grow, they put us down, they inform us.
