Directed by: Nina Paley
Starring: Reena Shah, Annette Hanshaw (vocals), Aseem Chhabra, Bhavana Nagulapally, Manish Acharya
Genres: Animated Musical, Experimental, Romantic Drama
Runtime: 82 minutes
Language: English
License: Creative Commons BY-SA — watch and share freely
🧵 Synopsis
Two women, centuries apart. One is Sita, the devoted goddess and wife of Rama from the Indian epic Ramayana. The other is Nina, a contemporary animator who gets dumped by email after following her husband to India. Their parallel tales of love, loss, and self-worth form the heart of Sita Sings the Blues — a vibrant, genre-blending indie film that’s been called “the Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told.”
Set to the sultry jazz vocals of 1920s singer Annette Hanshaw, the film weaves together myth, modernity, music, and meta-commentary in an utterly unique animated experience.
🌟 Why This Film Matters
Made almost entirely by one person — Nina Paley — Sita Sings the Blues is an astonishing DIY tour de force. Paley animated the entire film herself using Flash and 2D vector graphics, creating distinct animation styles for each narrative thread:
- Traditional Rajput-style paintings for the mythological segments
- Shadow puppet silhouettes for humorous and insightful commentary
- Squigglevision for modern-day storytelling
- Jazz-infused musical numbers animated with stylized digital flair
The result? A film that’s visually inventive, emotionally resonant, and surprisingly funny — a bold reimagining of an ancient story told from a woman’s point of view.
📜 Plot Summary
📖 The Ramayana Retold
Sita Sings the Blues enters the Ramayana at a pivotal moment: Prince Rama is exiled to the forest by royal command. His loyal wife Sita follows, only to be kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. Rama rescues her with the help of the monkey god Hanuman, but instead of celebrating, he demands Sita prove her purity.
Even after surviving a trial by fire, Sita faces more doubts. When gossip and social pressure lead Rama to banish her again, Sita prays to be swallowed by the Earth — and she is, leaving Rama to grieve the consequences of his actions.
🧑🎨 Nina’s Story
In the modern storyline, animator Nina Paley is left reeling after her husband moves to India, becomes distant, and eventually ends their relationship via email. The parallel to Sita’s abandonment is poignant and personal, as Nina processes the break-up through her art — and eventually through this very film.
🎙️ Voices of the Epic
- Annette Hanshaw’s jazz songs — the soul of Sita’s musical interludes
- Reena Shah — voice and dancer behind Sita
- Aseem Chhabra, Bhavana Nagulapally, Manish Acharya — three hilarious shadow puppets who narrate the Ramayana with witty debates and deep insights
- Nina Paley — voicing her own story with squiggly, bittersweet charm
🧩 Artistic Style & Narrative Layers
The film operates on four distinct planes:
- Mythic Drama: Bold, flat-colored animations echo traditional Indian art
- Musical Numbers: Vector-based jazz performances channel heartbreak through song
- Contemporary Autobiography: Loose, sketchy Squigglevision relays Nina’s real-life separation
- Meta Commentary: Unscripted, humorous shadow puppets question the meaning of it all
This playful yet profound layering makes Sita Sings the Blues one of the most narratively inventive animated films ever made.
🎵 The Music: Annette Hanshaw’s Heartbreak Blues
The emotional core of the film lies in the jazz recordings of Annette Hanshaw, a 1920s pop star known for her haunting love songs. Tracks like “Mean to Me”, “Am I Blue?”, and “Daddy Won’t You Please Come Home?” become Sita’s inner voice, giving a raw, feminine emotionality to the ancient epic.
🧠 Reception & Legacy
- 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
- 94 on Metacritic
- Roger Ebert: “Astonishingly original… a miracle.”
- The New York Times: “An amazingly eclectic, 82-minute tour de force… evokes painting, collage, underground comic books, and Yellow Submarine.”
⚖️ Copyright, Conflict & Creative Commons
Despite rave reviews, the film faced music licensing challenges. Though Paley believed the Hanshaw recordings were in the public domain, multiple rights holders emerged. She ultimately negotiated a reduced $50,000 licensing fee and released the film under a Creative Commons license — a radical move that made it one of the first feature-length open culture films.
You can download, remix, and share it legally and freely.
📺 Watch Sita Sings the Blues Free
📥 Download – Creative Commons Licensed
🔗 Watch Now on Archive.org
🧭 Final Thoughts
With humor, heartbreak, and stunning visuals, Sita Sings the Blues is a love letter to storytelling itself — one that connects ancient mythology with modern emotional truth. It’s bold, feminist, fiercely independent, and unforgettable.
🔖 Tags
sita sings the blues, nina paley, ramayana, indie animation, annette hanshaw, creative commons, free movies, open culture, public domain, animated musicals