Director Mahesh Narayanan’s C U Soon was conceived entirely in the COVID19 lockdown period. However, it is not a pandemic story. Set in mid-2019, it is a love story which soon transforms into a bona fide thriller with a strong element of suspense. Unfolding through constant chat messages and video […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
‘Athiran’ review – a chilling mystery thriller that scores high on atmosphere
There are films that sell themselves on their mood. Among veterans, I have observed the quality in films by Yasujiro Ozu, Federico Fellini and even Stanley Kubrick (thinking only of 2001: A Space Odyssey at this moment). Of late, Gasper Noe, Darren Aronofsky and Alfonso Cuaron have successfully nurtured this […]
Read Time : 13 Minutes
‘Kumbalangi Nights’ review – a sharply observed film that marks a sublime directorial debut
The opening sequence of first-time director Madhu C Narayanan’s Kumbalangi Nights is set in a boys’ hostel. You see a group of teenagers playing football and later making plans to roam around Kochi city. One of them suggests a plan to visit Franky’s (Mathew Thomas) home in the outskirts, followed […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
Varathan review – a moody film that eventually drowns in a simplistic finale
Varathan took me back to Elizabeth Kenny’s famous words, “It’s better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life,” The statement has sheepish cinematic sound to it and no wonder, we have creators including Neerad making films till date around various iterations of the philosophy. Coming to […]
Read Time : 5 Minutes
‘Carbon’ review – Heart-stopping thrills and an edgy, original hero
“In any case, we have to ascend the routes that we descend,” declares Sameera (Mamta Mohandas) in writer-director Venu’s Carbon. They are on a long, strenuous trek and our protagonist Siby (Fahadh Faasil) is not one to buy such conventional theories. Going to a mundane office and working his ass off for another […]