To Kill a Tiger

In Jharkhand, the thirteen-year-old daughter of Ranjit, a farmer, is assaulted by three men. What the village expects is clear: drop the case, marry the girl to one of the attackers, close the matter. Ranjit refuses. Nisha Pahuja's documentary follows the years that come after that refusal. The film's force lies less in the court process than in the shape of the pressure. Neighbours, relatives, the village council; nobody uses violence, everybody tries to persuade. The camera stays inside those persuasion scenes and shows what it actually costs a father to stand against his own community. The Canadian production won TIFF's Amplify Voices Award for best Canadian feature, best documentary at Palm Springs, and three Canadian Screen Awards. It was nominated for best documentary feature at the 2024 Oscars. Who it's for: Viewers ready for a documentary about gender violence, law and community pressure. Who it's not for: The subject is heavy and the film offers no relief. Keeping a young girl on camera at length is also a choice that has been debated on ethical grounds.