Director Robert Gardner didn’t provide any voiceovers or even any subtitles to help viewers make sense of his 1986 ethnographic documentary Forest of Bliss. He just lets the cameras roll, quietly capturing everyday life in the Indian city of Benares, a holy city on the river where inhabitants live surrounded by beauty and death (the river is a magnet for corpses). Needless to say, it paints a less romantic picture of the country than Slumdog Millionaire, but a no less poignant one. A new 35mm print of this film screens through Thursday at the UWM Union Theatre for free.
Forest of Bliss
Tonight @ The UWM Union Theatre, 7 p.m.
