Machan (15)

Very funny, mostly true tale that's been dubbed the
Sri Lankan Full Monty

Director: Uberto Pasolini
Starring: Dharmapriya Dias, Gihan de Chickera, Dharshari Dharmaraj
Sri Lanka/Italy/Germany, 2008, 1 hour 48 minutes, subtitles

Fri 5 March 4.00pm, Sun 7 4.00pm, Mon 8 4.00pm The Courtyard Hereford

The Sri Lankan Full Monty has been entertaining audiences and picking up awards all over the world, its underdog charm sugarcoating a surprisingly direct indictment of global immigration policy. It's the funny, mostly true tale of a motley crew of pals from the slums of Colombo who, desperate to escape dead-end jobs, debt and grinding poverty, form a handball team hoping it will prove their dream ticket to Europe. The characters are well drawn, their dilemmas affecting and the inevitable setbacks on their journey to the Promised Land make the fun-filled finale all the more satisfying.