Por Thozil (2023)

Por Thozil (2023)

Directed by: Vignesh Raja
Starring: Ashok Selvan, R. Sharathkumar
SPOILERS AHEAD.

Serial-killer murder mysteries is a genre that I love watching - the tension building, the twists and turns - and Por Thozil does a good job at everything. It draws its tone and style from Fincher's films, True Detective and it takes a classical approach to filmmaking. The film picks up post the entry of Sharath Babu's character - Kennedy. Every scene there on carries terrific tension. Although the end reveal of him being the killer was eerily similar to the scene in Zodiac - I wish it was done slightly differently. Although what I loved about the whole Kennedy bit was that in the beginning, he feels like a red herring - but he is not. That's a nice diversion from the usual tropes of a serial killer film. Although he partly is. There is another killer too - although the link between both the killers didn't work for me. The whole act of the other killer kidnapping Sharath Babu's character to learn the tricks of killing people didn't seem convincing to me even at a writing level. But apart from this one link in the whole puzzle of the narrative, I enjoyed pretty much everything. I loved the whole act of catching the new killer too.

I really enjoyed Kennedy's backstory - it felt rich and it's a nice way of showing how circumstances can push people into extremes. It's a big debate - nature vs nurture - certain research says that psychopaths are not made, but are born. Some portions of their brains are not as developed and they cannot feel things. Now whether they turn criminals or not is circumstantial. Some research says that there are so many successful, famous people who could be psychopaths. The film touches upon this and doesn't go any deep into this - understandably so. The last scene, though, was a nice touch for the ending with a kind act - it also felt like a convenient visual way of solving a problem that can't be solved by any person. Although I loved the fact that the film even touches upon this whole debate - whereas I was happy with just the cat and mouse, serial-killer murder mystery.

Minnal Murali (2021)

Minnal Murali (2021)

Directed by: Basil Joseph

Starring: Tovino Thomas, Femina George, Guru Somasundaram

Streaming on Netflix.

Not being a big fan of superhero films, I wanted to give this a shot because it's rare to see one come out of Indian cinema and especially Malayalam cinema which is known for its layered and nuanced writing and filmmaking. What I loved about this film is about how they set a film in rural Kerala and still completely transported us into the idea that two characters from here get superpowers almost like any other Marvel or DC heroes. I think it's because of the time it took to set up the milieu, the inciting incidents and everything which leads up to the incident that gets them to have superpowers. And though the film is slightly in the meta zone where it shows its awareness of existing superheroes in Hollywood films, it never gets into the parody zone - it takes its characters very seriously.

What's beautiful about Malayalam cinema is, even in a film like this or 2018, which are heavily centered around the premise of the film - they still set up the whole world in an extremely nuanced way. No lazy writing at all. Apart from this general aspect, I liked a few things about the writing of the film - I liked the backstory of the kid - I liked the Joker touch they gave to the villain which is usually not so easy to pull off - I also liked the bit where the villain pulls off a fake identity. Although what I didn't enjoy as much was that it felt predictable. They didn't address the whole - how will Minnal Murali prove to people that he did only the good things and not the bad things? They chose a convenient way out of it. The fight between the superpowers felt very Marvel-ey. But having said that, as a film, I have huge respect for the execution. Not once did the VFX feel weird, or the action sequences seem bad or not even one thing felt out of place. Everything felt very stylish and yet seamless.

2018 (2023)

2018

Directed by: Jude Anthany Joseph

Starring: Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban

Streaming on Sony LIV

It's a film based on some events centered around the floods in Kerala in 2018. The film tells us stories about how people helped each other in the time of crisis. The caption of the film says - everyone is a hero - and that is the emotional energy that the film is built upon. The protagonist happens to be one of those so many people. The film celebrates every person who selflessly helped others. The film celebrates humanity. With stories like these, it's very easy to get into the zone of a preachy space - but this film never gets there. One of the reasons is because even though the film is about how people's lives are saved - in spite of that every character is fleshed out very well by showing us very nuanced everyday conflicts they keep going through. And it just subconsciously reminds us of how life is happening to everyone and one day, suddenly everything goes for a toss. And what matters is, if we are safe and alive.

Another reason, the film never goes into a preachy or a boring biopic sort of a space is because the film carries terrific tension throughout. The tone of the film is that of a Hollywood survival thriller and yet it retains all of the nuance and subtext that usually a format like that would lose. Apart from the writing, it's amazing how the world is built with the cinematography, the production design and the VFX - it felt humongously scary at so many times. It felt like a vision perfectly executed on screen. The film got me inspired as an artist, and more than that - as a human. 

Virupaksha (2023)

Virupaksha (2023)

Story and Direction: Karthik Dandu
Screenplay: Sukumar
Starring: Sai Dharam Tej, Samyuktha Menon

I really enjoyed this film - it transports you into the world right away - and it uses mystery and horror to sustain tension and I feel like that's even more scary because there's the fear of the unknown. Usually in films where there are superstitious beliefs, we as the audience tend to not take them seriously because we assume a higher ground of rationale. But this film beautifully tricks us into buying the superstitions by scaring us whenever characters break free. I was surprised when I found myself rooting for characters to stick to them because that's what's the horror and mystery did to me. The theatre I watched the film in, the sound was too loud and even annoying in portions which is why even the jump scares felt like a bit of a cheat and there was frequent shrieks by characters almost forcing me to close my ears. But apart from this one thing, the way the mystery was building up step by step till the point of interval was amazing. The reveal that happens in the interval was a nice Sukumar-esque piecing things together. One more thing I felt a little dicey about what was how Surya keeps grabbing Nandini's hands forcibly, repeatedly. That gesture just made me tad bit uncomforable, but otherwise I love how their love story was also organically woven into the main plot. 

Spoilers Alert here on. While I enjoyed the twist that Nandini was also behind this, it felt like a bit of a convenient detail to add in the ending. Because the hints that they planted that it could be Nandini were too much of a far shot. Having said that, I definitely enjoyed the twist. I just wish there was more set up to pay this off. And after the reveal was done, the film was practically over for me - but there was a lot of shrieking and yelling and a lot of noise. I wish the film concluded the finale in a simpler way after the reveal was done. But yes, after having watched the film - the images and sounds from the world are still resounding in my head and I'm happy that a film in this tone and space is made in a mainstream way without losing its essence. 

Romancham (2023)

Romancham (2023)

Written and Directed by: Jithu Madhavan

Streaming on Disney+Hotstar. 

When I was trying to describe this film after watching it to people, is when I realized how unique of a film it is. It is a slice of life, horror film - blending two polar opposite genres seamlessly into a film. This is the most unique expression of horror I've ever seen - because the horror isn't in your face, but it slowly seeps into the film before you even realize. Of course, over time Malayalam cinema has earned it from the audience that the films will take their own sweet time to establish the world and characters with simple scenes - nothing mind-blowing or amazing or extremely funny - just simple stuff. This film banks on that as well - the opening 30 minutes or so is just establishing characters and the world. And the interesting part is, this world is not even a new interesting world to look out for. It's the most boring, mundane setup ever and even then the film finds its interesting moments. 

I like how Malayalam cinema creates tension and horror out of eccentricity of the body language of characters - FaFa in Kumbalangi Nights. The only horror scene in the film was a good one, and because it's the only scene in the film - it felt like they totally earned the suspension of disbelief. Although with this style of horror, the caveat is that you don't take the horror element as seriously. Having said that, horror films always excite me before I watch the film and barely impress me after I watch it. This film def impressed me on so many levels.

The Holiday (2006)

The Holiday (2006)

Written and Directed by: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz

Streaming on Netflix. 

It's a beautiful film! Usually films take their time to establish the world and the characters with introductory scenes - whereas this film uses the premise of the film to do that. Two women from different countries swap their homes for a holiday to get away from their relationship issues. We see two women having failed relationships and deciding to go on a holiday. BAM! We are transported right into the world of the film. And all of this is treated in a light-hearted tone, and yet the film maintains immense empathy for what the characters are going through. Above this, there is the British girl going to Amercia and vice-versa - there is a lot of comedy explored through contrast. There are quite a few characters that we are introduced to, through the lens of the two protagonists and the canvas has been laid out. The beautiful thing about the film is - throughout the film - no matter which scene, which character - it's like there is a filter of kindness, empathy, but also a certain awareness to life which brings out comedy. We could call it the Nancy Meyer filter. I'm not saying she's the only filmmaker to have captured this tone - I've observed this in Richard Curtis' films too - but I really enjoyed how this film feels different and yet familiar. 

As the canvas of the film is laid out, the screenplay has freedom to explore the lives of any character in whichever order it wants to. But the film never loses its grip. By the end of Act-2, the film goes into a territory where all the characters are being treated badly in their relationships and are unable to muster the courage to walk out. And though the arc of them finding courage didn't come through so well to me - I didn't mind it because sometimes finding courage happens with a flip in the brain and often it's not even explicable. Eventually, keeping the tone of the film - everything works out for everybody in the end and it's like a nice warm hug. I absolutely loved Kate Winslet in the film - how could a gorgeous actress and a star like her be convincing as someone who is rejected? Who is going through unrequited love? She did it. I really loved the whole world, and the characters. I watched The Intern, I will have to check out other films by Nancy Meyers.

Iratta (2023)

Iratta (2023)

Written and Directed by: Rohit M.G. Krishnan
Starring: Joju George
Streaming on Netflix.

I was really excited about the film right after watching the trailer - because the canvas of the film is such that there's a lot of scope. The film is a murder mystery and in the process of investigating suspects - we also do a character study. I like the intense backstory - it makes us wonder if people are bad by choice, or because of circumstances they've been in. Although the investigation felt like it was middling a lot. Except for the ending and a few moments - the film didn't keep me as hooked. Although one thing I liked about the film is the way drama is explored. Usually in murder mysteries - the drama is taken a bit easily, but here they show Anjali traumatized properly. I liked Joju George's performance, but to me the film could've been more engaging with the canvas it has - at least it didn't reach my expectation. 

(Spoilers alert from here) Now the film feels like it was made just for the twist in the ending. I wish they did some more setting up for the twist to have landed better. Maybe Vinod meeting Pramod's wife and him having a decent relationship with Pramod's wife and daughter (when she was a kid). One good thing though is, I was wondering - why the idea of twins? Because the whole film would've worked with them being brothers too. But with the ending twist, it hit real hard. Now, he doesn't have a shot at even meeting his daughter because she'd have been traumatized (spoiler alert ends here). It reminded me of Iraivi a little - for how women face the consequences for men's actions. Overall, the film came across as a little confused to me - it feels like a mix of a murder mystery playing with the possibility of a Rashomon effect, it feels like there's a lot of social commentary on men and their nature, it talks about trauma too (which I enjoyed), the animosity between the brothers (which is a red herring). The film still sounds interesting on paper to me, but I can't quite figure out why it didn't have the desired effect on me.

Viduthalai - Part 1 (2023)

Viduthalai - Part 1 (2023)

Directed by: Vetrimaaran
Starring: Soori, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vijay Sethupathi
No Spoilers.

Vetrimaaran Supremacy all over. This film made me feel like I'm a fearless person who is aware of what's happening around the world - just by watching the film. This film elevates your understanding of what's right and wrong, on par with an Asghar Farhadi film. And because of all of these, I feel like I've slightly evolved as a person after watching the film. The film throws us into this world right from the opening - and it's a poverty rid world - and yet with the way Vetrimaaran presents it - by showing us their lives, the food they eat, their routines - it almost feels like a different world we're getting into altogether. So there's strong usage of setting, and then there's strong usage of character too - the protagonist is a new cop who goes into this world - so it's almost like he's taking our POV and we see how he eventually becomes courageous. I love how the film is plotted - I think this film works wonderfully at a one-line order level itself - for the amount of progression that happens with each scene. And because of this, the film is extremely engaging. By the interval, I was shocked - because it felt like time just flew.

The film is as brutal as Visaaranai, but has the tinge of a well-made gangster/crime drama film too. The tone is a mix of Visaaranai and Vada Chennai - sometimes, it feels like we're watching real footage and we see larger than life characters and events happening in the film. I love how the heroes and the villains of the story are all part of the same world, intertwined with each other. With this film, I can see how you can shift the perspective of a character through the casting. You cast a hugely admired actor like Vijay Sethupathi - the audience will have some soft corner for that part even if it's a villain. Now if you have a character who's a rapist, or a serial killer without cause - you can't cast someone like him. I love how Vetrimaaran weaves his plot - where the setting, character, plot - all affect one another and none are neglected. 

The Father (2020)

The Father (2020)

Directed by: Florian Zeller

Based on a play of the same name.

Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar for Best Actor.

It's about a man in his 80s dealing with dementia - a very empathetic, kind, possibly boring idea. But the film takes this idea and makes a mind-bending, heart-breaking film out of it. How? We as the audience feel the disorientation that the man is feeling. The scenes keep cutting back and forth in time, we go 5 years ahead, 3 years back, without even realizing. We wake up in different places, cities, countries, meet different people, have hallucinations now and then. It's a chaos. And every non-sensical question that he asks his daughter, make total sense to us now. I've met a few people who're dealing with dementia, and after having watched this film, I feel like everything that they said and felt, would've made complete sense to them. It feels non-sensical to us. But to them, it's disorienting. I feel like this film is a tight slap to anyone who'd be insensitive to someone going through dementia. This film makes you feel it yourself to know what it could possibly feel like.

Apart from the dementia angle - films like Amour - films that talk about aging are always a reality check. Life is eventually going to get there. When we see people take care of their parents, partners when they're going through a lot - it makes me ponder a lot. Because we as young people find it very easy to say things like, 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you' to someone who we're attracted to and to whose jokes we laugh at. But do we know what we're signing up for? We might have to take care of them, clean their poop, and be there for them as a parent is there for a baby. Are we ready to do all of that for this person - who seems "cute, talented and funny"? Films like these make me think a lot about life and the people we have in it. Is there a point of living in so much pain? Isn't it easier to just go when living starts being such a pain? Who would I have around me when I'm in that state? Would I be okay being a burden on someone? Whether I have answers to all these questions or not, and irrespective of what I'd do once I get there - I just want to ensure that I don't have any regrets when I get there. That's it.

Dasara (2023)

 Dasara (2023)

Directed by: Srikanth Odela
Starring: Nani, Keerthy Suresh
Spoilers Ahead.

I loved the opening 15-minutes, where they show us the world and the characters - I found it to be very interesting. Halfway into the first half, I realised that the film is opening up a few plots and running them in a parallel way and that the film could go take any direction from there. I absolutely loved the interval, but I just wish they explored Dharani & Suri's friendship in a more humane way for the interval to land better. To me, the entire 2nd half felt a little flat because I knew the story by the interval. Everything that was adding didn't change anything drastically. And if the villain kills him for the girl anyway, then what's the point of that whole elections bit? But though these questions came up in my head, my favourite scene from the entire film was Dharani going to bat after downing a lot of alcohol. It was sheer swagger.

What I loved about the film is, it has a strong sense of visuals, strong sense of character and setting - which we don't see a lot in Telugu cinema. There lies the problem with the film too, it feels slightly derivative of films we've already seen. And to me, though there were moments that were emotionally landing, there were a lot which weren't also. To me the whole climax didn't have the emotional effect I'd have liked it to. Having said all of these, apart from the few writing issues - the film has a strong directorial voice and I have mad respect for the film for exploring new avenues in terms of the tone and texture. I enjoyed the film, I guess I just expected more.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

The Greatest Showman (2017)

Directed by: Michael Gracey
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar. 

The film has a very enticing premise - the trailer talks about how there's this man who has to make a living for himself and what he decides to do is to give unusual people a voice, by making them part of a circus. There are two underdogs who are being given a shot at life here - one is the man who runs the show, two is the people who are part of it. So suddenly the film because a world full of underdogs who we are rooting for. So it's a sober cocktail of inspiration, motivation and positivity. All of this done in a musical format - I'm not a big fan of this genre but this film mesmerizes you a lot with those songs and the set pieces. There were so many moments in the film which blew my mind with how the choreography, the set pieces, the acting, the camera moves and the music - all of it came together in sync. So I was very involved in the story. The film quickly takes a weird turn, where PT Barnum starts losing himself. He gets sucked into the fame, the money and the glamour of the field. He then shuts the same people who he gave a voice to. They never believed in themselves, but one man came and changed their lives and again did the same which everyone else did to them their whole lives.To me, this was the lowest point of PT Barnum's life. 

Whereas the film has more tangible loses after this, like him losing his marriage and his theatre burning down. One thing I never quite understood was - Jenny was born out of a wedlock - she has been traumatized because of it her whole life - after this, why would she be okay with being the other woman? And also, I didn't like the troop accepting PT Barnum back after him shunning them that badly. I understand that they forgave him, but he just went back to them after he lost everything else. To me, he didn't deserve their love back again. I get it, since it's based on real life, they'd have taken some beats and wouldn't have had the space to explore every layer of these characters. Apart from these few flaws,  Zendaya's track was beautiful, I absolutely loved the songs and I couldn't believe that this is somebody's first film. The film is an amazing, wonderful source of inspiration, motivation and sheer joy.