Film Screening: The Sacrifice
Directed by Robert Lemelson, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles
RSVP not required, but appreciated.
Since childhood, Ketut Sudirta, from central Bali, has lived with severe mental illness. His tumultuous adulthood is shaped by episodes of instability and violence: he wanders the streets, violently attacks his half-sister, is incarcerated and hospitalized, and questions his own existence. Ketut is also a fond friend and family member who tries to live a fruitful life, and participates in an ambitious healing process to address and redress the wrongs of which he seems a part. This longitudinal ethnographic film is shot and narrated by Ketut’s childhood friend and explores the grief, concern, and culturally-informed meaning-making surrounding a deeply troubled life.