An armored tank slinks through a field of grass, two soldiers share a cigarette in an earthen dugout, a lovely young woman washes her body under a slant of sunlight—these are only three of the indelible images coruscating through Vimukthi Jayasundara's visually stunning debut, winner of Cannes' Camera d'Or prize in 2005. Three unhappy souls living in an isolated but beautiful Sri Lankan locale each have their way of coping with the unending civil war taking place mere kilometers from their doorstep. The ostensible head of household is Anura (Mahendra Perera), a mournful guard at a nearby military installation who is often teased by his coworkers. His wife, Lata (Nilupili Jayawardena), frustrated and bored, takes a lover while his unmarried sister Soma (Kaushalya Fernando) longs for a change of scenery. Jayasundara unravels their tragic, fateful scenario through elliptical scenes and moments of earthy frankness complemented by a purposeful aural and visual palette. An old man's story told to a young girl speaks to Soma's predicament while Lata's adulterous encounters are fraught with the watchful eyes and ears of nature. A haunting film that rewards a viewing on the big screen, The Forsaken Land offers a potent examination of life during wartime.

Written by Vimukthi Jayasundara. Photographed by Channa Deshapriya. With Kaushalya Fernando, Nilupili Jayawardena, Hemasiri Liyanage. (108 min, in Sinhalese with English subtitles, New Yorker Films)