Malik Analysis

Malik (2021)

Written, Edited and Directed by: Mahesh Narayanan

Starring: Fahadh Faasil, Nimisha Sajayan

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The film has a terrific sense of visual grammar. The setting of the film is extremely important, it's part of the premise. Communal riots, being a major conflict of the film, we have to understand the people in the setting. The setting comes through beautifully with the craft of the film, especially the long takes and the wide shots. Fahadh's performance is riveting, the way he brings through the pain and power. The parts where Fahadh listens, or reacts, or just looks on, those are the parts where the character comes through the most. I remember having a similar feeling while watching Vijay Sethupathi in Uppena, where he just sits in the car and looks out and I could see character in those shots the best. I think when there's a dialogue or some action for an actor, anybody more or less performs it, but to create intensity without having anything to do, that's something else. Even Frances McDormand in Nomadland. That's another level of intensity. 

The film talks about how it's not always about the choices you make, but it's also the situations you are in. The scene where Malik takes his gun out and shoots in the air, to let people into the mosque - he wouldn't be capable of that if not for the situations he's been in. And that's what makes him a powerful man. Him being thrown in the garbage, sheer injustice to his people. So it's almost like he's created through circumstances too as much as his choices. The film operates in the epic gangster saga space, with a time span of decades, with stories of revenge, betrayal, religion, politics and power.

Promising Young Woman Analysis

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Written and Directed by: Emerald Fennell

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham

Won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

The beauty of the film is how the story unfolds, layer by layer. Initially we see that there's this woman who is playing games with men, and slowly we see reason behind why she's doing it. A lot of mysterious facts are casually placed in the film, like her dropping out of medical school, which could be a random fact, here they present it like it's her erratic nature, but later we know that there's more to it. At the end of the day, it's a rape revenge movie, but it beautifully talks about the idea of consent because it bases the entire premise of the movie on that. It reinforces the idea of consent, when a woman is drunk and can't make choices in that state. The film here and there goes into a psychological thriller zone, which I wish it went more into.

The men in this film are written super weirdly. It feels like a tit for tat competition for men writing one dimensional women. The film wants to show that even charming men, and "gentleman" could be dangerous, but it could've perhaps subverted some ideas by maybe showing conventionally creepy men to be actually safe. It's a well written film for sure, but I don't get why this film got a Best Original Screenplay.

Haseen Dillruba Analysis

Haseen Dillruba (2021)

Directed by: Vinil Mathhew
Written by: Kanika Dhillon
Streaming on Netflix.

We see Kanika Dhillon's elements - women who mess up, cheat, and have complicated notions of love. I just loved that portion of the film where Rani is narrating about Rishu, where he becomes psychotic and acts weird - that part has a possibility of an unreliable narration and the film suddenly turns dark, into a psychological thriller space which I absolutely loved. The mystery and the reveal didn't work for me, but I didn't mind it as much too either. It felt like there isn't much happening in the film throughout, except for the portions where Rishu is trying to kill her, the film could've perhaps expanded on that. The tone of the film in those portions was terrific.

There is interesting drama in the triangle love story, the lengths Rani goes to impress the new guy just shows us how granted she takes Rishu for and it's heartbreaking how it is. It is what it is, sometimes you can't help it. She wants someone and she got someone else and desire is desire at the end of the day. There is interesting usage of elements in the writing itself, like her cooking mutton for him, and how she is later reminded of the entire meat sequence, which is also a segway to the ending. Once, the mystery was out - the film could've stopped as soon as possible - it was no fun watching what exactly happened. I was thinking that Vikrant Massey was a bit miscast for the role, of a guy who is not man enough - because his vulnerability didn't come through as much. Though he looks lean, he looks great with his beard and not for a moment does he not look like he's man enough. But it was an interesting transition to see Vikrant in the monster part of Rishu.

Sara's Analysis

Sara's (2021)

Directed by: Jude Anthany Joseph
Written by: Akshay Hareesh
Starring: Anna Ben, Sunny Wayne
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

It's a film with a strong sense of messaging and activism, but the filmmaking and writing don't go for a toss. The film is simplistic and focused, with one protagonist and a simple, yet a very relevant conflict. Sara doesn't want to have a child and she wants to do what she loves doing, and be remembered as a filmmaker. It talks about how it's just assumed that a couple has to have kids once they get married. The film is pretty straightforward, it doesn't take any complex or nuanced standpoints. The way they make it work is through the husband's character, who initially doesn't want to have kids, who initially stands with her but later, he too flips and has a change of thought. It's interesting how they made her a filmmaker, but they don't indulge much in the filmmaking setting much, and the film stays focused on the conflict itself. I'd have had a tough time, stopping myself from getting there. Even in the filmmaking world, they keep addressing feminist issues wherever they get a chance to, like a producer making a pass at her, and a producer doubting her capabilities because she is a woman.

I wouldn't say I loved this film on the leagues of other great Malayalam cinema, only because this film is too straightforward and it lacks any layers and nuance. Having said that, I can't really complain because the issue the film tackles is a very important one and films which deal with such issues have to be made in a straightforward way. I wish they dealt more on how their relationship is affected once the husband has a change in thought, because the in-laws are anyway against them throughout the film. We don't see the couple's interpersonal relationship much, we don't see much of how they feel about each other. Having said that, I think the film stays focused on what it wants to say and that's good too.

Bo Burnham: Inside Analysis

Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)

Written, Directed, Edited, Filmed and Performed by: Bo Burnham

Streaming on Netflix.

"I hope this show does to you for a few hours, what it has been doing to me for the past few months. Distract me from wanting to put a bullet in my head." 

One of my friends told me that this show was dark and disturbing, and honestly I found it to be quite normal. Because that's what the lockdown, and the isolation has done to me. This is material which made me get back from a 3-week slump of not being able to engage with anything. Here, I didn't have to put efforts to engage with the material. The erratic nature of the show resonated a lot with the kind of thoughts that I keep having. Bo is extremely talented, where he can create art out of practically nothing. He can write, sing and perform and do whatever it takes to entertain. My favourite part of his comedy is the way it gets meta on so many levels. I absolutely loved the part where he reacts to his reactions, and how he negates every thought of his at every reaction. I also liked the parts where he talks about his progress, about him turning 30, and such elements which are almost journal like and they'd be otherwise boring even in a vlog - but for the tone that Bo Burnham has cracked, it works within the context of this show where he tells us that it's going to be weird and not so smooth.

I wish he had gone a little more into the struggles of creating, a bit into the territory of Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation. That's just me wishing to see more of myself. Vulnerability. Self doubt. Things like these. Bo Burnham does a good job of capturing these feelings in a slightly different setting too.

Zombie Reddy Analysis

Zombie Reddy (2020)

Written and Directed by: Prashant Varma

Streaming on Aha!

It's a fun flick. It sticks to the zombie film genre, doesn't subvert much or it doesn't have any socio-political comment going on undercurrent. But the way, it reimagines the popular Telugu cinema faction genre, is terrific. It's a blast in those episodes. The comedy is also physical, and out in our faces. It feels like a parody at places. They create humour out of weird hair and make up choices - actor Prithvi not having two arms, RJ Hemanth's beard - create fun. The scene where Getup Srinu headbutts every one and ends up headbutting an iron pole is hilarious. Teja Sajja is good, I was not sure about him looking at the posters - but in the film - he fits very well. The angle of 'gamers never give up' is interestingly explored.

I felt that the scientist was too caricature-ish, his experiments - they don't even try to shoot these scenes in a convincing way. I think the film is unapologetically on the face and it works in favor of the film for the most. The poster sets the expectations right. There are some really good moments, like the mother breastfeeding her baby when she's bit. The plot of temple's water being a cure was also a visually interesting choice. The film takes a good path when the girl doesn't pull the trigger and gives up her own life because she can't shoot - the stakes suddenly go up. All in all, it's a fun film. It is extremely self aware in what it's trying to do and this is how I'd love to watch commercial, masala films where they exactly know what they're doing and what they're not.

Koode Analysis

Koode (2018)

Directed by: Anjali Menon

Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Nazriya Nazim, Parvathy Thiruvothu

Based on Marathi film 'Happy Journey'

Streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

It's a film with a simple premise, which talks about coming to terms with loss. I really liked how they treated such a complex theme with a slice of life treatment and such simplicity. This is a good example as to how we can mask a story of a complex theme in a story about love. The Josh and Sophie track, although explores how Josh overcomes his fear and inhibitions - it doesn't have much to do with the core story - but it cleverly designed in a way that we feel satisfied after Josh and Sophie get together after rounds of conflicts. It's a good example as to how we can seamlessly introduce stakes in a story dealing with complex themes as well. I really liked the premise, where we sees the spirit of his sister. It just goes to say that he hasn't gotten over the loss and is thinking what she'd do or say. It's a beautiful coming-of-age arc for Josh, where he goes from 'doing stuff because it's duty' to 'doing stuff out of love' - when he stands up for himself and takes Sophie with him - he isn't concerned about the consequences. He for once, thought about himself.

The filmmaking has a strong voice which comes through even in the most simple shots, whether it's the dog sitting somewhere in the scene, or the shots of food, the locations the film is shot in. Prithviraj Sukumaran was really good as Josh, mainly his body language. It's in total contrast with what he did in Ayyapanum Koshiyum. Nazriya was also terrific, especially there's a scene when Josh apologizes to Jenny after they have a fight when they're sitting on the van. And she just cries - that reaction was terrific - it's exactly how people react when someone confronts their feelings after they pile it up for a while. They just burst. I wasn't a big fan of Jenny's flashback, but I liked how they used it in Jenny's eulogy where they help Josh and Sophie flee. 

Ricky Gervais: Humanity

Ricky Gervais: Humanity (2018)

Streaming on Netflix. 

It's a hilarious take on how people take offence for anything and everything, often without understanding the context and the intention. He talks about how people won't laugh at a joke, which has the word 'rape' in it and there's a difference between having the word in a joke, and making jokes on the act itself. He also talks about how sometimes, it's not even punching up and down - it could be plain, witty word play or pun. His entire humor is punching down, and yet it makes us laugh because his way of telling the story is so good and in a way empathetic that we forget our problems, our own lives, our tolerance to pain and go into his shoes and look at things from his perspective. Doesn't mean our lives are trivial - it's just that for a life you forget stuff and just enjoy the jokes. The ordinary 'scum'. The jokes on the posters offering guitar lessons. Why he won't have kids. All of these are hilarious. And he even has jokes in between narrating, for example - he narrates two long stories about why he won't have children, and then he says, 'my third reason is...' and that's funny because we wouldn't expect he'd have more. It's very interesting how he has this special full of jokes. It's entirely unpredictable. I'm really enjoying the way trying to understand how jokes work - and that's the best part - understanding comedy doesn't make jokes any less fun, just like how people say - when you study cinema, how do you enjoy it? It's the same here too, knowing more about the form makes it more fun to appreciate and engage with it. Absolutely loved this one.

Bo Burnham: what.

 Bo Burnham: what. 

Streaming on Netflix. 

This piece is a mixture of a lot of art forms, which all blend together seamlessly. Comedy, music, satire, parody, mime, poetry, prose, dance. It's almost like there's nothing he doesn't do. He uses every form to tell something, and it's so fun to watch. His multi-talent makes him so unique an artist that it could even be difficult to define what he exactly is. A stand up comedian, actor, musician, screenwriter, director. All of them come together seamlessly to create a unique voice. The entire show is heavily meta in nature. My favorite piece is the left brain, right brain division - it's brilliant humor created through really good understanding of basic psychology. His jokes about how everyone gives advice, on catering to the audience more is also funny. I always find parody and humor based on imitating hilarious, because there's no setup needed and the jokes can come back to back. In fact, that was my very first piece of writing. I used to write and direct plays based on parody in school back then. I would imitate lecturers in college, by putting them in scenes from popular movies. It's hilarious. Even spoofs. I love them. 

The Family Man S2 Analysis

The Family Man Season 2 (2021)

Created, Directed and Produced by: Raj & DK
Starring: Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha, Priyamani
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Spoilers Alert.

The series opens with a terrific 7-minutes which sets up the conflict of the entire season very well. The best part about the show is it's funny and tension evoking at different times, never feeling out of tone anytime in the show. The funniest was the ending of Ep-4, where Srikanth and Talpade get caught near the dead body, I watched this scene thrice already. I loved how they didn't hesitate to set up the show cross culturally, and how there is a lot of Tamil dialogue. Though they create a lot of fun through the cultural differences at times, that's not their only resort to comedy. It mostly comes through the quirks of Manoj Bajpayee and his initial track of how he deals with drudgery. 

I love how the series picks up tension as the episodes progress, the subplot of Dhriti getting trapped is brilliantly done throughout the show. I love how they had some internal conflict for Kalyan - and how he is struggling between two very strong choices - war and love. It finally comes to an end with a lot of stake for Srikanth. It's personal for him, everything could break apart for him - he'd probably even lose his wife, and also for his cause. I liked what they did with Raaji - Sam did a great job in spite of it seeming a bit out of tone in a scene or two. The threat that she could be, comes through the coldness very well. It's interesting how they deal the Srikanth - Suchi track, always by hiding something - they don't show us the drama there. Perhaps because it'd turn out to be out of tone of the show. Yet, the way their arc progressed in this season was interesting - I'm interested to see how Srikanth will deal with what Suchi tells him.

The action scenes with the long takes are amazingly done - whether it's the rebels attacking the police station to get out Raaji, or the climax episode - the way the camera goes in with the characters as they go in a car, come out of it - it makes the experience so immersive. I'm excited to see the next season, the premise is simple and just kick-ass.

Kala Analysis

Kala (2021)

Directed by: Rohith V. S.
Starring: Tovino Thomas, Sumesh Moor

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The best part about the film is the tone of the film - it is a result of the locations, the costume, the editing, the character, production design, music - they arrive at this world, and this tone after using all the tools of filmmaking. There is a strange sense of eeriness to the world, and sometimes it feels psychological too. The film is high on style - it has non-continuity editing, it uses a lot of wide angle close shots to create a sense of distortion - in the way we see the characters - and the camera moves a lot. The setting is a simple house in a forest, there is a family and though it is a simple family - Shaji is an extremely complex character which is what makes the film more than just a horror/home invasion flick. That's the best part about films that subvert genres - they inspire other writers to try all genres and not get taken aback just because the general films that come out in that genre are not that great. 

For me, the point that the film was trying to make didn't come through that well. It talks about how deep down, we all are animals and how it creates problems in the modern world. It's a simple point, did I have to watch them fighting for about 40 minutes to arrive at this? Maybe not. That's what my issue was. Perhaps I didn't understand the other layers the film had. I could see how the film is pro-compassion too, with the ending. I like that it's a complex film, but I'm just wondering why they approached a film which talks about peace, and humanity in this violent a form. The violence is disturbing too, it's not fun to watch. And when they are fighting, I wasn't empathizing with either - I just felt like they're fighting and I'm watching them from a distance. Tovino Thomas killed it, I remember him in Mayanadhi - even there he plays a complex character - but he is so soft spoken and silent there - it's such a contrast that I see in both these films.