Sita Sings the Blues

In SITA SINGS THE BLUES, the Hindu goddess (and namesake of the film) is the leading lady of the Ramayana, a dutiful wife who follows her husband, Rama, on a 14 year exile, only to be kidnapped by an evil king from Sri Lanka. Despite remaining faithful to her husband, Sita is forced to endure many trying tests. Fast forward to modern times, where artist Nina (the filmmaker herself) discovers parallels in Sita's life when her husband -- in India on a work project -- decides to break up their marriage and dump her via email. With narration and hilarious commentary by a trio of Indonesian shadow puppets, both the ancient tragedy and modern comedy are married in this beautifully animated interpretation of the epic, which is also enlivened by grand musical numbers choreographed to a cross-cultural and eclectic mix of 1920's jazz vocals from Annette Hanshaw and Indian fusion.