The Terrorist

Indian cinematographer Santosh Sivan's taut psychological thriller follows a young female terrorist as she embarks on a suicide mission. Nineteen-year-old Malli (Ayesha Dharkar) is a dark-haired, doe-eyed killer, a terrorist trained from an early age to kill without compunction and, if necessary, die for her homeland. (Although the revolutionary group is never mentioned by name, the scenario strongly suggests Sri Lanka's fearsome Tamil Tigers.) Living among her fellow militants in their jungle encampment, Malli is handpicked to execute an unnamed V.I.P. whose politics run counter to the movement's unstated goals. The means are simple and effective: Malli is to meet ...