I will admit I was a bit skeptical of 'Provoked: A True Story' before I actually viewed the film. The reasoning behind that was I knew that the film involved the topic of domestic violence and I felt that it would a movie better fit for Lifetime than the Silver Screen. I was wrong.

The movie draws you in from the minute you sit down. At first the events seem shocking, but soon you come to realize the mindset of Kiranjit Ahluwalia (Aishwarya Rai). Her physical abuse at the hands of abusive husband Deepak Ahluwalia (Naveen Andrews) are just too much to take and she takes matters into her own hands. The opening scene is provocative and shocking, and the quest to find out answers on why the event occurred is well done.

'Provoked' then moves to a courtroom drama and jailhouse drama. In Jail, Ahluwalia finally sees what it is like to be able to think for herself and forge meaningful relationships. She changes and sees goodwill from inmates who understand what she is going through from their own trials and tribulations in a "mans world". While jail seems like the worse place in the world to most, she finds a sanctuary there as she previously had to deal with a man that bordered on pure evil for many years of her young life.

The film delves into many sensitive issues including domestic violence, police corruption, and racism. The direction at times can be confusing and Naveen Andrews sometimes overplays his plays his role. All and all 'Provoked: A True Story" is a film worth viewing and I recommend seeing it when it is soon released in Cleveland.