“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 into such conventional theories. Going to a mundane office and working his ass off for someone else all his life is not quite his life goal.
Siby, right from the beginning, sees opportunities all around — be it a teakwood cupboard in a dilapidated bungalow or the possibilities of a trek to a mysterious hillock. Carbon starts as a regular small-town drama, where a loving Christian family immediately worries about their wayward son. This is the kind of network that’s always lived within the rules and seams of defined social concords. Middle class, yet sort of financially sufficient, Siby’s father (Spadikam George) is way too everyman not to relate to. Anyhow, the working-class family never really teaches their young son against pursuing what he desires. It is not as if they don’t worry enough about him, but probably they have a glimmer of hope in Siby’s extreme self-belief.
Carbon soon switches genre patterns, and we get to see this terrific dream sequence that beautifully connects to the visuals preceding it. The mood changes quickly with our man traveling to a distant bungalow somewhere along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The journey itself is a revelation, as we, the viewers, discover the place with the same inquisitiveness as Siby. Even as the main characters (led by a supremely confident Manikandan) take a daring trip across the jungles, we are always on Siby’s side. We almost curse his naïveté while worrying endlessly for his safety. It is indeed our mind seeking the hero’s journey, completing a full circle. Then again, Siby isn’t the atypical wronged hero on a revenge spree. Greed is what drives him, and the template isn’t even that of a do-gooder anti-hero. Siby is just as selfish and complicated as we all are.
Towards the second half, the leading lady, Sameera, is introduced. Her part, I must add, is somewhat undercooked, and it doesn’t help that she dresses up as the most unconvincing ‘Jungle Junkie’ ever. Plus, with an occupation that is quite mysterious, we are eventually surprised when her status quo with Siby changes overnight. That said, the surrealist song featuring her is quite a smart touch (despite the bad singing), and Venu clinches another chance to deviate from set genre contours.
Talking about that, Carbon does not come across as a bona fide thriller throughout its runtime. There is, certainly, a level of intrigue that develops steadily, but it is too subtle a process for us to jump with curiosity. This is an impressive touch, as the narrative picks up enormously in the final reel, with the sound (Jayadevan Chakkadath) and photography departments playing magnificent roles. I couldn’t resist applauding Bina Paul’s editing, which flows indolently with the film’s slowly evolving narrative arc — especially in the first half, towards the midpoint, and of course, the climax.
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To cut it short, what I didn’t quite appreciate in Carbon, besides Mamta’s strangely written part, was the somewhat hurried narrative shift, where a debt-stricken Siby is sent off to a distant place. We are also shown that, somewhere in his conscience, he cared for his family and friends. Not exactly analyzing the rights and wrongs here, but I wish the film had delved deeper into these conflicts rather than merely projecting them through shaky visions as he hallucinates toward the end.
That said, Fahadh’s extraordinary acting chops and Venu’s studied material ensure a relatable film, involving, and spine-chilling—all at once. Giving them perfect company is KU Mohanan’s cinematography, which, for the record, aligns beautifully with the visual grammar Venu sets for the film. We never feel a sense of fatigue as Carbon takes sharp turns, often leaving little room for finite closure. The life-like lighting in the electricity-free bungalow is yet another triumph for Mohanan.
It looks like Malayalam cinema had no plans of slowing down in 2018, with the year kicking off on a superb note. A handful of quality films had already arrived, and Carbon easily took the cake at the time.
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
Carbon is streaming on Zee5.
