''28'' is a 2014

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n feature drama film directed and produced by

Prasanna Jayakody Prasanna Jayakody (In Sinhalese: ප්‍රසන්න ජයකොඩි) is a Sri Lankan film director and screenwriter, internationally recognized for his cinematic accomplishments in contemporary Sri Lankan cinema. His movies primarily ...

. The film starred by

Mahendra Perera Mahendra Shrikantha Perera (born 17 August 1956: si, මහේන්ද්‍ර පෙරේරා), is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television. One of the most influential actors in Sinhala cinema, Mahendra performed from ...

and

Semini Iddamalgoda Semini Dinusha Palihawadana née Iddamalgoda (born June 19, 1973 as සේමිණි ඉද්දමල්ගොඩ) inhala, popularly as Semini Iddamalgoda, is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. Performing in both dram ...

in lead roles along with Rukmal Nirosh,

Sarath Kothalawala Sarath Kothalawala ( :si:සරත් කොතලාවල) inhala is an actor, director, producer and a screenplay writer in Sri Lankan cinema. He, along with Kumara Thirimadura, won the Award for the Best Screenplay at Derana Lux Film Award ...

. ''28'' revolves how three men transport the body of a woman, who was raped and murdered, in an old van. One of the men will find out that the woman is his estranged wife. The film name is given considering that the average menstrual cycle of a woman is around 28 Days. (Which is also equal for the moon to complete one full orbit around earth). The film premiered at the

International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

on January 24, 2014, and was released officially in Sri Lanka on 2 June 2017 in CEL Theatres. It is the 1279th Sri Lankan film in the

Sinhala cinema Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the Sri Lankan film industry. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with '' Kadawunu Poronduwa'' produced by S. M. Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone. Sri Lanka ...

Plot

In a country where sexuality has become a vulgarity, a man sees his wife nude for the first time as she lay dead after she was sexually assaulted on a mortuary table and then struggles emotionally, to at least claim as his own, the merest part of her body. Lenin is livid that he has been tricked into transporting a dead body but, seeing the dead Suddhi's torso he agrees unconditionally to transport her body back to the village. When the coffin arrives, the villagers already know how Suddhi died through newspaper reports and rumors resulting in Abasiri's humiliation in front of them. Suddhi addresses the mourners at her own funeral stating that she is now bereft of fear and censure since she is dead and provides telling and powerful testimony on behalf of all women.

Cast

as Abasiri * Rukmal Nirosh as Mani *

as Suddi *

as Lenin * Daya Thennakoon as Ukku Banda * Sisira Kadikara * Nilmini Kottegoda * Priyantha Prabath * Ariyaratne Perera

Awards

The film was screened at the

Rotterdam International Film Festival The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

in the Netherlands. It won the NETPAC Jury Award for Best Film.

and

nominated for two

Asia Pacific Screen Award The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) is an international cultural initiative overseen by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and headquartered in Australia. In order to realise UNESCO's goals of promoting and preserving the different cultures t ...

s for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Screenplay respectively.

Reception

''28'' was met by mostly positive reviews. Jury of the

mentioned that “a well-measured and crafted film that emotionally engages the audience through poetic storytelling of a critical subject.”

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, tt3469676 2010s Sinhala-language films 2014 films Films set in Sri Lanka (1948–present) 2014 drama films Sri Lankan drama films