KOCHI: Dark images reflecting sexuality and the naked truth of ageing are what Monica Lairana tries to bring out in her film ‘The Bed’ which gives a rather intense picture of a couple trying to cope with their separation along with age. Monica’s film is in the competition category of the 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). This is her first film and was inspired by Lucian Freud, an artist known for his naked paintings.
Set in the backdrop of Buenos Aires in Argentina, the film opens with George and Mabel spending their last 24 hours together as a couple in their family home. As the film proceeds, we get to know that the house is sold and they have to split everything they have collected in their life together before the moving truck arrives.
For director Monica, this was not just any film. “This is my first film after directing three short films. This film is personally connected to me as I went through a breakup after a relationship of more than eight years. That’s when I realised if it was so painful for me, how it will be for people who have been together for 30 years,” she says.
‘The Bed’ also explores the theme of ageing where the protagonists George and Mabel are about to go their separate ways but at the same time are reluctant to leave each other’s side. The couple tries to have sex in many instances but fails every time. “Sexual communication is very important in relationships. In the first scene, Mabel tries to force herself on an unwilling George. This scene explains how they have reached the stage where their marital relationship is lost,” says Monica. The scene where George gets a second call and rushes out to attend it is suspected to be the reason for their separation.
Besides having tensions in their relationship, the couple shares some light moments where they spend their day locked up in their home, move furniture, eat, shower, pack things, cry, laugh and have a final dinner together.
Through these scenes, the house also becomes a third character in the film. “When I started thinking about the space, I thought about its intimacy. For me, my life is the little moments you share with your loved ones,” the director says. The film ends in the middle of these emotional ups and downs where the couple bids each other goodbye. “When you break a relationship, it is important to see another person’s feelings as well,” she says.