In a Small World, a film by Samy Pavel and Harsha Navaratne

A film that hopefully will gain more attention as it is distributed more widely, "In a Small World" is the dream child of Producer Harsha K. Navaratne and Director Samy Pavel. Navaratne, a film maker in his own right, and founder of a Sri Lankan NGO the Sewalanka Foundation (www.sewalankafoundation.org) initially teamed up with Pavel (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samy_Pavel) in Sri Lanka, and after many years of development, with crisis and war claiming a great deal of their energies and concerns, this beautiful work was born.

http://www.inasmallworld.com/info.html 

Below is a synopsis of the film:  

SYNOPSIS

In Japan, the boss of a Kyoto newspaper tells Hiroki, a young journalist and the boyfriend of his only daughter, to travel to Pattaya to write a feature story on Thai cuisine. Journalism is a competitive business, and Hiroki jumps at the opportunity to prove himself, not knowing that the photographer assigned to the feature story has been instructed to document more than just the food.

In India, the boss of a Chennai software company tells Balaji, a young software engineer, that he is sending him on a holiday to Pattaya because he is working too hard and needs to relax. Balaji is a newly married Brahmin with little interest in the world outside the orthodox traditions of his faith. He declines the offer, but his boss insists. Weighed down by his wife Meena’s objections and his own hesitations, he departs for Pattaya.

In Thailand, Jade, a young married woman from the northeast has left her home to come to Pattaya with her small daughter. She is a masseuse, a companion, and a comfort for people who come from thousands of miles away looking for love and escape. She works day and night to balance the needs of these visitors with the needs of her daughter and the demands of her husband and family back in the village. Like many young Asian women she is pulled in multiple conflicting directions as she struggles to care for everyone around her.

For 72 hours the paths of these three young people are drawn together. Stories crisscross and drama builds on the tourist-filled streets. An Austrian painter, recently divorced after 30 years of marriage, is running from the past. A Belgian man is looking for a new future. In the bright lights and swirling anonymity of Pattaya, each character is tugged by their history, by social pressures, traditions, and the emotions of family bonds.

Through our actions, we create the world we live in. East or west, rich or poor, young or old, single or married, we all share the same human qualities. Within each of us there are good emotions and bad emotions. Within each of us is the potential to create peace and happiness and the potential to create sorrow and suffering. Standing in between, we are pulled in different directions. Which way to go? Which way to happiness?

The only thing that is certain is that the choice is UP TO YOU.