Dating and New York (2021)

Dating and New York (2021)

Written, Directed and Produced by: Jonah Feingold
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video. 

It's a story of dating in the modern world, it's an age old story of two people meeting, not wanting to catch feelings but they end up. However, the film has an interesting tone, the way it's shot and edited. It has a Wes Anderson-esque touch to the way it's cut and the way voice over is used. There's Milo and Wendy, two people who meet on a dating app, they hook up and then decide to stay in a friends with benefits space - where can "let them be single but not lonely". And all their friends say that this is not going to end well and that one of them is going to have their heart broken. They deny it. Slowly, they start hanging out, they start talking to each other and spending time, and of course, the inevitable happens. Milo catches feelings, and I expected that he's the one who is going to catch feelings first. 

Milo is a very interesting character, even his outlook has a lot of quirks. His curly hair, his costumes, etc. He has that vulnerable side in him intact. Wendy is more outgoing, and she seems more strong but then as Milo points out, she is acting out of fear. She is afraid to be loved, because deep down she thinks she isn't good enough for someone to consistently love her. She says that if we end up dating, it'll end up in you despising me. That tells about what she thinks of her. I would have loved the film to end where both of them stay apart, for some reason, love stories hit harder if they don't end up together - perhaps for the same reason why Wendy is afraid to be together - unrequited love is more romantic for some weird reason. Perhaps self sabotaging tendencies. 

Tu Hai Mera Sunday

Tu Hai Mera Sunday (2016)

Written and Directed by: Milind Dhaimade

Streaming on Netflix.

It's a simple premise. Five friends set out to play football in the city of Bombay, and their game is cancelled because of a mishap at a location and when they try to find space to play, they somehow can't. The film starts with this note, and then slowly explores the life of every character in the film. We see what each of their lives are like. The city is captured really well, scenes are shot in real locations and we can feel the claustrophobia of the characters. The rooms in houses are dirty and filled. There is traffic, crowd, chaos. A simple conflict on the outside which has an underlying social commentary is always a solid premise. I'm reminded of a lot of Iranian cinema. But this film also has the slice of life vibe, I see the tone of Wake Up Sid, especially the way the romance between the two characters was drawn.

The film blatantly talks about capitalism, it's clearly anti-capitalist. The worldview is clear, although it would've been nicer if the approach was a little nuanced. The boss in the office seemed caricature-ish. The person outbursting at an airport because of his corporate job also felt like too extreme of an example. These guys seemed genuinely clueless. I felt that a little more nuanced take on this would've been nice. But apart from that, I loved the film.

Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana

Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (2021)

Written and Directed by: Raj B. Shetty
Starring: Raj B. Shetty, Rishabh Shetty
Shot and Edited by: Praveen Shriyan

What makes an epic gangster saga? The film has to study characters deeply, it has to span over a long duration, typically a generation or two, the setting and the world has to come through to create an immersive experience, and of course, some cool hip murders. GGVV has all of the above. It has Hari and Shiva - two gangsters, and they are explored beautifully through a good chunk of a sequence where we see what happened in their childhood. Shiva was found in a well, he's mistaken to be dead body initially, but turns out he is alive. Then, Shiva is bullied throughout his childhood. Hari takes care of him. And one day, Shiva reacts. That's where the story starts. It's a beautiful story of brotherhood, friendship and how they fall apart. When Shiva gets to know that Hari has sent men to kill him, he is first in denial and later when he has to believe it, he becomes so weak. Though Shiva is a bad guy, he killed so many people, it's heartbreaking to see a stonehearted man, a borderline psychopath like Shiva, become so weak. His body shivers. Because Hari is the only human bond he has had since his childhood. Now, that has turned against him. 

I like the style of the film. It's realistic, but it's also stylish. Especially the way the murder sequences are shot. My favorite is the second murder, after which Shiva does the tiger dance. It's such a cinematic visual. Also, the idea that he uses the footwear as souvenirs and we reveal that he's killed people by showing his footwear first. Though I liked the voice over, and how they used it to explore character, I would've probably enjoyed it even more if the V.O. was from the perspective of Hari. Or maybe it's someone V.O. but we don't know whose, and in the ending it turns out to be the guy's who ends up killing Hari. Overall, I loved the film. It's been a while since I watched a really good gangster film.

Churuli

Churuli (2021)

Directed by: Lijo Jose Pellissery

Starring: Vinay Forrt, Chemban Vinod Jose

Streaming on Sony LIV.

I felt hypnotic as I was watching this film. At a point, I felt like even I could start acting strange just like the people in the film. It's a film with a lot of abstractness to it. It's a mystery, horror, fantasy with elements of magical realism. The premise is pretty simple, two undercover cops go in search of a wanted criminal. In the process, they're stuck in a village called Churuli where all these eerie mysteries unfold. A lot of crazy stuff happens. I've heard someone using this phrase for Super Deluxe, in the 2nd half, the script is high on coke. Here, it's the entire film. Even more after they enter Churuli. They go through a series of experiences.

The village is shot beautifully. I still remember the imagery. With greenery all around, but with mist in between. In some shots, the mist was creating an eerie effect. In some shots, the entire landscape was visible to show the dominance of the setting in the story and the characters are just miniatures in the frame. The music, and the sound design is hypnotic. The sound effects, the ambiance, the music and dialogue - every element of sound is played around with to create the effect. There's beautiful use of dissolves too, to create this effect. And the way the people look, blink their eyes and get back - it was all creating a hypnotic effect. 

Erin Brockovich

Erin Brockovich (2000) 

Directed by: Steven Soderberg
Written by: Susannah Grant
Julia Roberts won the Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe for Best Actress.
Streaming on Netflix. 

It's the story of an underdog - Erin Brockovich - who has no education in the law, and despite of that, was instrumental in building a case against a Gas and Energy company. Initially, she is taken very lightly by her colleagues because of the way she dresses and looks. They feel like she doesn't belong there. And she's even fired, until they realize that what she's been doing was actually a lot of significant work. Julia Roberts did a really good job, because the character is very nuanced and a lot of it comes through the performance and the body language. The way she talks, the way she walks, and it's like she is a misfit and she isn't understood as a person by the people around. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo had a similar protagonist. I really liked how her son has a character arc, from being nagging to being empathetic. 

The film has a nice tone to it, it's a workplace drama, but it's also a character study. The way the conversations are shot, the pacing and the rhythm of the scenes, it reminded me of Spotlight where the characters are given their space to take a breath. The framing is very interestingly done. I remember a lot of 1-shots when the characters talk. This kind of framing gives more power to each of the characters when they speak, because this film doesn't deal as much with interpersonal relationships. It's about Erin, finding herself some respect and identity. Only when she's more human, vulnerable, like when she's talking to the plaintiffs, or when she's with family, we see suggestion shots to see that she exists with others. But when she's at work kicking ass, we see 1-shots. In the scene where she tells the lawyer that she knows all the contacts of the plaintiffs by heart, it's a close up, 1-shot. This kind of framing subconsciously adds to our viewing of the film.

Spencer

Spencer (2021)

Directed by: Pablo Larrain

Written by: Steve Knight

Starring: Kristen Stewart

Premiered at Venice Film Festival.

The film is about Princess Diana, ending her marriage to Prince Charles and leaving the British royal family. The film has a beautiful tone to it, it's a blend of a periodic epic drama and a Aronofsky style psychological thriller. It's about her angst, of not being able to fit in the royal family, and also her dealing with Prince Charles having an affair. The best part about the film is that it's very visual. There is are a few terrific scenes which are the core of the film, one is at the dining table, where she breaks her string of pearls and then gobbles them into her mouth, and later vomits it. Kristen Stewart was terrific in the part, they added a layer of paranoia to her body language, and it's expressionist. The music is also expressionist in those scenes where the cameras are flashing at her face.

And then there's a scene where she plucks flesh from her own arm. Self harm is something very dark and interesting to explore. It happens when you feel that there's nothing in your control, except your own body. Just to tell yourself that you can control some things, you end up hurting yourself to prove yourself a point that you are in control of at least something. That's the headspace, Diana is in. Her every move is controlled, there's security all over, she feels claustrophobic, and that's the reason the film is shot in that aspect ratio too. They could've easily chose to go to a cinescope or an even wider aspect ratio to capture the beautiful sets, but since this is a story of suffocation, and not about the grandiosity of the royal family - they shot it like this. In spite of that, the frames have a very interesting nature to them, it feels a bit poetic at times, but because of the score, the poetic landscapes suddenly get a tinge of paranoia to them.

Mahasamudram

Mahasamudram (2021)

Written and Directed by: Ajay Bhupathi
Starring: Sharwanand, Siddharth, Aditi Rao Hydari
Streaming on Netflix.

The film has a nice setting - smuggling in the Vizag port, two best friends with opposing ideologies who later become rivals, one of them slowly becoming a gangster, there is a woman involved between both the friends - there is a lot of scope for drama. For me, the transition of Arjun from a man with values, to a man who starts shooting goons was too fast. It happened like a sudden jump. It just happens after Chunchu mama convinces him about something. The same with the transition of Siddharth's character in the ending, it happens after some revelations by Chunchu. Yes, there are some twists that come out here, but still when a character changes polar opposite because of some information, it's not visually convincing. For me, the motivation of Vijay was unclear throughout the film. Initially, he left Maha and went somewhere, and later he comes back and feels bad that Arjun is with her. Anu Emmanuel's character didn't add much to the story apart from someone having to observe the contrast in Arjun - from how he was back then to how he is now. This could've been done by his mother too. 

But apart from these things, I liked how the film was shot. I could see the palette of Vikram Vedha, and I liked how they used the setting so well. There were shots of the beach in between, used as a transition from one scene to another. Rao Ramesh's character was designed very well - it's a nice way for the audience to strongly remember a character. Chunchu mama was also interesting - I've not seen Jagapathi Babu play a manipulator like that lately. The world building is also good, but the character motivations, and the arcs weren't coming through. There were huge jumps there. That was the issue for me. 

Picasso Analysis

Picasso (2019)

Written and Directed by: Abhijeet Mohan Warang

Won National Award - Special Mention

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

It's a film with a simple setting, a simple premise, few characters, a few events. A seventh grader from a remote village in Maharashtra gets selected for the National Level of Picasso Arts Scholarship. Although to participate, he has to pay a fee of 1500/- by the next day. How he manages to get the money, is the film. Again, it falls in zone of Iranian films, where the entire conflict of the film can sometimes get solved with the prize of the ticket of the film. Here too, with 1500/- the problem gets solved. The conflict is small for us. But, we are engaged to see what it means to them. For the characters, it's a big deal and the father even tells his son that he can't get him the money, and that he's failed him. It's a heartbreaking moment because the father feels like his entire life has been a waste and he feels that he's been a failure, and he doesn't want his son to repeat the same mistake. 

I didn't particularly enjoy the setting of the play - but I think they shot it in a way that we see the dullness in the life of an artist. The score keeps reminding us how tough it is. Someone gives him a 100/- reward, and he looks exhausted. He feels, is that all? Am I supposed to be happy? Although by the end of the film, when he finally gets the money for his son and he gets back to work, we see a smile on his face that says that, all of it, all the struggle, hardships, it was all worth it. And that is all that matters. Do you as an artist feel satisfied with your work? Do you feel that the struggle was worth it? If that's a yes, nothing else really matters.

Pushpaka Vimanam Analysis

Pushpaka Vimanam

Written and Directed by: Damodara

Starring: Anand Devarakonda, Geet Saini, Saanve Megghana.

Spoilers Alert.

The film essentially has two premises. One, is about how a married man tries to hide to people that his wife has eloped. It has a fun tone to it. He is embarrassed, and he doesn't know how to deal with the situation. He's also heartbroken, lonely and frustrated. But he's trying to mask it all by putting up a facade. It's endearing to see the vulnerability. Here, they have a few physical conflicts as to how he covers it up. After this, the second premise makes a big turn in the film, the tone changes, it's almost like it's Andhadun suddenly. Shit gets real. From there, it goes into another territory by retaining the fun tone. What I felt was, the subplot of Akash, should've been revealed earlier so that some cards are open to the audience and they keep guessing.

The film was fun and engaging. I liked how they explored his heartbreak through him venting near her wife's friend. The choice of who the killer is, is interesting. I didn't expect it'd be him. But his reason for killing could've been something more. Because after so much mystery, when you see that it's someone who had an urge and they attacked her, it feels a bit convenient. You could close any woman's murder mystery like this, by saying that someone around had an urge and raped/killed her. But apart from these small things, I loved the film.

Jai Bhim Analysis

Jai Bhim (2021)

Written and Directed by: T. J. Gnanavel 
Produced by: Jyothika and Suriya
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Films about oppression are forming a new sub genre, a new wave in Tamil cinema. Visaranai, Pariyerum Perumal, Karnan, P. A. Ranjith's films and a lot of films. However, this film is set as a legal drama, and it also has flavors of an investigative thriller. That's what sets this film apart. The film has a lot of graphic depiction of police torture and it gets taxing to watch it after a point. The film's structure is interesting, the way it keeps cutting back to the original incident, revealing the incident parts by parts. There are a set of sequences in the film, which arise interesting investigative blocks. Like, the part where she knew about the phone call which she didn't tell Suriya. However, apart from this the film has a sense of predictability. We know that he'd win the case. That's the reason, there is not much emotional curiosity from us towards the film. An issue I had with this film is that, the pay off is barely satisfying for the amount of trauma we go through while watching the oppression. Rajamouli's pay offs satisfy us. Even in Karnan, I felt that the set up was too exhausting and it had gotten beyond repair.

The film is shot with a distinctive visual palette, the court scenes are shot in a way, the police station torture scenes, and the scenes of Suriya's office with yellow lighting. The last shot of the film is beautiful - it encapsulates the whole idea of the film. A small girl, from an oppressed community, hesitantly picks the newspaper and sits on the chair cross legged in front of an elderly, accomplished man. It shows how education, basic equality is also a privilege to some people. 

The Dictator (2012)

The Dictator (2012)

Co-written, Co-produced and Performed by: Sacha Baron Cohen
Directed by: Larry Charles
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video. 

It's an out and out mad cap comedy. They create a character, like Mr. Bean, where no matter which scenario you put them in, you can find humor. What if this character does that? What if this character does this? Endless possibilities. Humor is always created through a consistent character, who behaves differently from the normal people. Here, the character is a dumb dictator who doesn't have the capacity to understand the depth of things, and his entitlement and therefore the choices he makes out of it, all of this leads to humor. I cracked the hardest for the joke, where he changes certain words to Aladeen and this creates confusion because he changes both 'positive' and 'negative' to Aladeen. Also, the politically incorrect and offensive stuff that he says generates a lot of fun. This is similar to the traits of Michael Scott. We know that he's a weirdo, and we are not with him, nor against him, we just witness the difference and enjoy the fun.

The tone of the film is celebratory, with the upbeat Arabian music, the pacing of the film and more. I was reminded of how I felt when I was watching The Hangover, where the only purpose was to have mindless fun watching it. The film also taps on a desire to have control over things, like how Aladeen initially has control over everything, but suddenly loses it once and learns some lessons. Usually comic characters don't change no matter what happens to them, they don't learn from their mistakes. That adds to the humor, that no matter what, they won't change.