Good lesbian films seem to be like buses; nothing for ages and then two come out at the same time. It’s impossible to review The World Unseen without mentioning I Can’t Think Straight. Both films were directed by Shamim Sarif and star Lisa Ray (left) and Sheetal Sheth. It’s there that the comparisons must end though, as the two films couldn’t be more different.

Set in the South Africa of apartheid, The World Unseen is about repression; sexual, cultural and personal. Miriam (Lisa Ray) is an Indian housewife, living the traditional role of hard-working mother, ignored by her husband and his family. Amina (Sheetal Sheth) is the total opposite; a rebel who runs the local cafe with a black male friend. When they meet, a friendship is formed which might just lead to something more.

The World Unseen manages to be many things. It’s a love story, sure, but at its heart is a commentary on apartheid and how it affected the everyman of South Africa; how it made friendships impossible, how cruelty and suspicion became the norm. African could not associate with Indian nor coloured and neither with white. Basic common courtesy was non-existent and respect a thing of the past.

Within this atmosphere thick with malicious intent, when Miriam and Amina find each other it’s as if the clouds have parted and the sun begins to shine. But romance is not just kept for our heroines; alongside their budding relationship is the story of Amina’s business partner Joseph and his mutual attraction to the postmistress. They connect on every level and are the perfect match but for the colour of their skin. Bigotry knows no boundaries in this hateful regime.

Lisa Ray is wonderful as Miriam, loving mother devoted to her children who knows that within her is a person she has never been allowed to become. It’s Amina to encourages her, talks to her and, most importantly, listens to her. Ray radiates maternal strength and loving vulnerability, casting a spell over the viewer who will cheer as she comes into her own.

However, this is Shamim Sarif’s film. Her direction excels in The World Unseen. It seems as though, in the open country of the South African veld, has inspired her to let the film breathe. The countryside is beautifully filmed (with what had to have been a tiny budget), its open spaces evoking both Miriam’s loneliness and showing just how small we all are in this vast world.

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