World Cinema
(2008, USA 82 MIN)
Wired magazine called Nina Paley “the one-woman Pixar.” That’s because, in this animated landmark, she built an entire feature film herself, from her home office, using standard-issue computers and over-the-counter software. But more than mere historical footnote, SITA is a magical film that weaves together two stories: of Sita, a goddess separated from her beloved lord and husband, Rama, and Nina, an animator whose husband moves to India and then dumps her by e-mail. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate what’s both an ancient tragedy (the story reinterprets the Indian epic Ramayana) and a modern comedy of romantic errors. The vivid, multilayered animation by comic-strip artist Paley looks entirely fresh.
Nina Paley
An accomplished comic-strip artist, Paley began making animated short films in 1998. A trip to India inspired SITA, her first feature, which she spent five years animating on a home computer. Paley teaches at Parsons School of Design in Manhattan and is a 2006 Guggenheim Fellow.
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