Ghaath

The bloody civil war between the Indian central government and the Naxalites, Maoist guerrillas who control whole swathes of land, began over fifty years ago and has since taken on a life of its own in remote jungle regions. Everyday life for those who are fighting and also for the local population is marked by violence and the constant proximity to death. Ghaath reveals the current situation in one of the theatres of war from the perspectives of three different protagonists: a drunken policeman, an informant, and a demoralised guerrilla. For the villagers who are caught between these invisible fronts, every trip to the neighbouring village, a careless sentence, and even the search for a lost dog can become life-threatening. (Berlinale)