SUDANI FROM NIGERIA (MALAYALAM) (2018)

The movie is set in a village in Northern Kerala in the milieu of the Sevens football tournament (7 persons per side as against the regular 11) which is quite popular in that region. Majid (Soubin Shahir) is a school dropout and as a result, is unable to seek any permanent employment to secure his livelihood. However, he is passionate about football and is also manager of a local football team - MYC Accode - along with his friends. Their team, which includes three africans as star players, is popular among the fans and is also reasonably successful despite facing financial challenges. When Samuel  - aka Sudu (short for Sudani) - (Samuel Abiola Robinson) - who is one of the star players meets with an accident, he is ruled out from the rest of the tournament. 

The injury puts Samuel in a desperate situation since he is not in a position to earn any more from the games which is the sole support for him as well as his family back home in Nigeria. It also means more financial outgo for a club whose finances are already precariously perched. In order to avoid hospital care expenses during the recovery period, Majid decides to bring Samuel to his home. Majid lives with his aged mother Jameela (Savithri Sreedharan) and estranged stepfather (KTC Abdulla) who works as a security guard. However, he is bitter with both of them due to reasons buried in the past and turns down their repeated warm overtures. Samuel is eager to return home to support his family, but is hobbled by reasons that are far more serious than his injury. What unfolds is an endearing narrative of humanity, hope and warmth that seeks to explore these distances - both physical and emotional.

Debutante director Zakariya Mohammed crafts this simple premise into a gem of a movie that is rich in emotions and drama. While Majid's family and his friends may be of limited means, the movie effortlessly portrays the magnanimity of such simple people with minimal means which reinforces the dictum that you do not have to be wealthy to be generous. 

The common thread that binds the entire narrative is that humanity is all that one needs to connect to a fellow being separated by any barrier. Through multiple interactions between Majid's mother and Samuel, the movie extols that differences in cultures and especially languages need not necessarily be insurmountable impediments in connecting to people.  A gentle smile and moist eyes are part of  universal language of love and humanity and they can communicate much more fluently and deeply than man-made contraptions for communication like our languages. When one can connect so easily beyond the contours of creed, nationality, ethnicity, religion or language, one tends to doubt the need for such markers which seem to be mere tools for division rather than cohesion.The movie is frequently funny as the director mines multiple references to sports, local culture and difference in language for laughs. The performances of both the leads - Soubin Shahir and Samuel with his winning smile - are apt and they are ably supported by the cameos from veterans KTC Abdulla and Savithri Sreedharan.

Malayalam cinema continues to churn out these gems in regular intervals where simple stories are brought to life in an appealing manner without resorting to raucous melodrama or any garish glitz of stars who tend to turn the focus from the story towards themselves. Director Zakariya Mohammed acquits himself as a welcome addition to the league of exemplary torchbearers of this great tradition.

AN EXCELLENT WATCH !!

RATING - 3.5/5

AVENGERS - INFINITY WAR (ENGLISH) (2018)

It is finally here.. the culmination of 10 years of multiple MCU story lines spanning 18 movies and ship-load of superheroes and their support cast which we have grown to love.

Thanks to the well orchestrated marketing campaign as well as the gradual buildup over the years through all the story arcs converging to this climactic showdown, the tsunami of expectations for Infinity War had hit a crescendo before the release.

Credit to the director duo of Russo brothers who have managed to deliver despite such stupendous expectations and hype. 

The movie is chock-a-block with our favourite superheroes and towering above all of them, is their nemesis - the mad titan Thanos who spells death, doom and destruction from the word go, as he sets out on a quest to capture all six infinity stones which would make him the most powerful entity of the universe.

While the narrative is indeed weighed down by the sheer mass of the material on hand and the multiple characters vying for screen-time, the directors have managed to provide space for almost all of them to come into their own.

Given the scale of the challenge at hand, the sinister designs of Thanos and his team and his superlative power which continues to multiply as the movie progresses, there is a palpable dark tinge that permeates the movie. Despite being shrouded under the dark cloud of impending doom an gloom, the narrative is frequently funny with clever cracking quips coming from the clash of several superhero sized egos as well as genuinely tongue-in-cheek conversations as all these characters get to know each other.

The action is often frenetic and the set pieces are brilliantly mounted on a dazzling scale with scope for almost every character to shine in brief bursts. In a movie of this scale, with more superhero per minute than any other venture, Josh Brolin is impressively menacing as the invincible, Thanos who seeks to bring balance to the universe even if it involves wiping half of all lives, including many of our favourite superheroes, at the snap of his fingers.

While some of the outcomes are on expected lines as indicated in the many trailers and teasers, the Russo brothers have packed quite a few nasty surprises that could leave the audience gawking, especially - an epic cliffhanger ending.

As the dust settles after a feverish run-time of almost 160 minutes and an audacious climax (yup every minute counts.. including the end credit scene), the audience are left at a perilous precipice that is shocking and desperately seeking answers to multiple questions from the sequel that is slated to hit the screens next year. 

Till then... we are left to MARVEL ... What could be lying beyond this insidious infinity ? 

A MUST WATCH (preferably on the BIGGEST screen possible) !!

RATING - 4/5

A QUIET PLACE (ENGLISH) (2018)

The movie is set in a post apocalyptic world haunted by blind alien-esque predatory creatures which zero in on their prey by sound. The very thought that any and every sound could literally be your death knell makes one shiver as the seriousness of the situation strikes us in an early scene. 

The narrative focuses on the ordeals of a small rural family of the Abbotts consisting of - real life spouses - John Krasinski (as Lee Abbott), Emily Blunt (as Evelyn Abbott) and their two kids - a daughter who is hearing impaired - Millicent Simmonds (as Regan Abbott) (hearing impaired in real life too) and a son - Noah Jupe (as Marcus Abbott) - as they adapt to a silent survival mechanism. Most of the movie proceeds in sinister silence with just the ambient sounds of nature as we find that the family has adapted to survive by walking barefoot always, giving up using any silverware and communicate almost exclusively in sign language.

John Krasinski who has also directed the movie has created a tense thriller which keeps the viewers entirely engrossed and riveted to the edge of their seats. He extracts remarkable performances from the entire cast - especially from Emily Blunt  who aces her role as an expecting mother encountering several terrifying turn of events along side Millicent as a rebellious teen with daddy issues.

Special credits are due to the sound designing duo of Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn who have done a tremendous job with the silences and natural ambient sounds that infuse every frame with the apt atmospherics of terror that runs through the entire duration of the movie. It is interesting to note that they have also worked on the latest sequel of that junkyard jamboree of Transformers - The Last Knight.

Krasinski is economic with his storytelling and builds the dread with every passing frame as surviving every silent second becomes a spellbinding and spine chilling experience as you fear that your own excited heartbeats are getting too loud for your safety.

Overall, it is a well crafted sci-fi thriller which elevates a simple premise into an absorbing adrenaline rush that stays with you long after your viewing.

A THRILLING WATCH (best enjoyed on a big screen with excellent acoustics) !!

RATING - 4/5

THE INSULT (aka L'INSULTE) (ARABIC/FRENCH) (2017)

The wounds of fire may heal and might even disappear with time; But, the burns caused by vicious words would never heal !!

This is the wisdom shared to the world by the ancient Tamil poet sage Thiruvalluvar in one of his 1330 Kurals (couplets) which is part of Thirukkural, an ancient classic Tamil text which is a monumental work on ethics and morality.

In The Insult, which is set in modern Beirut, Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri explores this very tenet through the events involving two principal characters - Toni Hanna (Adel Karam), a Lebanese Christian and Yasser, a Palestinian refugee. Toni is an automobile mechanic and Yasser Salameh (Kamel El Basha), is a foreman of a construction crew working in Toni's neighbourhood. Toni is also an ardent supporter of the Christian party and is hot-headed.  Yasser, on the other hand is reticent, and being a refugee, has an indeterminate legal status despite having lived in Beirut for several years. A faulty drain pipe overhanging from Toni's balcony triggers the initial confrontation and an exchange of insults. This is followed by vehement demands for apology from the other side and soon escalates to a forceful punch to the gut and ultimately, lands the duo in two courtroom battles. The movie captures the unfolding courtroom battles between the two individuals over this minor tussle as it steadily escalates and threatens to engulf the entire nation in turmoil.

From the initial seemingly trivial squabble to the courtroom combats, the movie takes the viewers on a roller coaster ride which includes resurfacing of latent wounds which never heal, traumatic revelations on the realities which were otherwise suppressed, a civil war which despite being over long ago seems to have transcended from the physical realm to the mind space of the population where it is still actively fought on a daily basis, the media melee surrounding the case which brings a fragile peace to the brink; and the effect of these unintended escalations on Toni and Yasser as they contemplate their lives, their painful past and prejudices that are deeply embedded therein which define their grim present as well as their possible next steps. Could there be a sense of hope or the long and deep shadows from their past are set to snuff out all light from their present as well as future ? Seen from another perspective, is this just a case of a personal conflict exploding to ensnare an entire nation or is it a chronic national/regional conflict which has percolated down to infect the everyday affairs of these persons ?

Home to one of the earliest human civilisations, Lebanon, is a small state in the Middle East which is nestled between Mediterranean sea to its west and Syria and Israel on the other directions. Lebanon, which had remained largely peaceful, prosperous and progressive, is unique in the largely Arab neighbourhood by virtue of its demographics consisting of almost equal number of Christian and Muslim citizens. The vexed political situation of the larger region, that has fanned the flames of hatred over the decades, has resulted in deep fissures along ethnic as well as religious lines. Over time, these have evolved in deep seated insecurities, mutual sense of victimhood and anger among all communities. When such groups are almost equally strong, as in the case of Lebanon, this creates a scenario of perfect storm. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a bloody civil war which spanned from 1975-1990 and consumed scores of its citizenry. Despite the end of the civil war, tensions remain and erupts in the form of ugly violence from time to time as disparate political groups seek to gain mileage by adding fuel to the deceptive, yet highly inflammable embers. The influx of refugees from neighbours in turmoil has provided further feedstock to this cauldron.

Despite being set in Lebanon with protagonists from particular communities, the film has a universal appeal as it explores multiple elements like the politics of opportunism which feed on prejudice & hatred, jingoistic appeals, deep-seated resentments, macho masculine pride as well as media madness which are seeking to alter the essence of human condition in these turbid times. The film is also an exploration on the how common sense could become a casualty when vexed vanities of exaggerated male egos glued to long-held grudges take the center stage. It also depicts the difficulties in de-escalation once the tinderbox is set alight as even seemingly simple conflicts could quickly spiral out of control with no solutions in sight.

Director Ziad Doueiri deserves credit for fashioning an engaging and powerful narrative which does not take sides and keeps the viewer engrossed in the proceedings till the very end. Special praise is due for the way he stages the courtroom battles where the protagonists as well as their attorneys land punches and counter-punches. While he may not be subtle and is also guilty of succumbing to cliches, his narrative is nevertheless energetic and aided by the excellent performances from entire cast which makes even the age old cliches work. With this fabulous feature, he acquits himself as a director to watch out in the future. 

The Insult was Lebanon's official submission in 90th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and was part of the final shortlist. It has been widely praised across multiple film festivals where it has won many accolades including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor (Kamel El Basha) in the Venice International Film Festival. It was also the opening movie of the recently concluded IFFK-2017.

A RIVETING WATCH !!

RATING - 4/5

EYE IN THE SKY (ENGLISH) (2016)

War on terror is a unique species. It involves multiple state actors spanning different continents stacked against an asymmetric enemy who could inflict disproportionate damage despite operating with minimal resources. With the advent of drone based warfare, this war has transcended the borders of sovereign nations and is conducted from remote locations spread across continents using satellite communication and drones which can deliver lethal firepower at selected locations under surveillance to eliminate enemy threats. Noted South African director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi) explores this scenario in an exciting thriller involving a drone based missile strike against the leaders of a terror outfit as they meet to plan their next offensive.

The leaders of Al-Shabaab, a dreaded terror group are meeting in a safehouse in the suburbs of Nairobi to plan their next terrorist attack. The meeting includes two British nationals who were radicalised recently and are being actively pursued by the British intelligence. British military intelligence officer Colonel Katherine Powell (Dame Helen Mirren) is heading a remote team stationed in rural Sussex that is actively tracking the meeting to capture the militants. They are supported by ground forces of the Kenyan military intelligence in Nairobi as well as assistance from two teams of US military intelligence - one based out of Hawaii for remote facial recognition of human targets and another team in Nevada which is an air force base where pilots remotely operate drones to deliver missiles on targets across continents with precision. 


Meanwhile, a Cabinet Committee on Defence consisting of the Attorney General, two ministers from the Government and Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Alan Rickman) oversees the operation live from Whitehall. The Cabinet Committee is empowered to authorise the capture  of the militants after receiving a final confirmation of their identities. These multinational intelligence teams are using an unmanned aerial vehicle armed with missile and some miniaturised drones operated from close quarters for their surveillance of the militant safe-house. 

However, the preparation of two suicide bombers inside the safe-house for an imminent attack on some civilian targets escalates the immediacy and intensity of the mission and consequently, Katherine seeks to convert the mission objective from capturing the terrorists to terminating them. However, any missile strike would also involve collateral damage to lives and property in the area which happens to be a bustling suburb in a friendly country. What follows is an intense and nail-biting finale filled with frantic events and disparate discussions across these multiple teams involving intelligence agencies, defence forces as well as dilly-dallying political leadership which is keen on political expediency than protecting lives. 

The movie explores multiple contemporary themes through a taut narrative that keeps the viewer constantly at the edge of their seats. Besides being a tense thriller, the movie throws up multiple questions on the ideas including value of some lives over others, malleability of morality, acceptable levels of collateral damage, remote warfare which despite looking gamified could still present deep ethical dilemmas and political compulsions which could colour critical decisions of life & death. There are no easy answers to any of these questions and as a result, these questions would linger with the viewers to ponder long after they have watched the movie. 

The ensemble cast consisting of Dame Helen Mirren, late Alan Rickman, Aaron Paul and Barkhad Abdi provide excellent performances as the movie puts our moral compass on a see-saw ride. Despite being a war movie, this thriller is stands out as it abjures from the time tested tropes of the genre with most of the key players being far removed from ground zero and operating remotely through screens in conjunction to pull a virtual trigger. While this scenario means a war without its quintessential grime and blood, it still holds the potency of violence and emotional scarring. After (Tsotsi), this is easily the most accomplished offering from Gavin Hood, especially coming after misfires like X-Men Origins - Wolverine and Ender's Game.

A COMPELLING WATCH !!

RATING - 3.5/5

THE SHAPE OF WATER (ENGLISH) (2017)

Director Guillermo Del Toro is a magical creator who is capable of conjuring up unique, mystical and quite magnificent settings for his narratives and has set this story in Baltimore of early 1960s.

It is a tender and captivating romance between a mute janitor Elisa (Sally Hawkins) working in a top secret research facility and a creature captured from Amazon which is part fish and part human and is believed to be a river god by local populace. The government seeks to experiment on this mysterious creature for space research and sees it merely as an asset which is dispensable. But, the mute janitor sees it as more of a fellow being - a companion who is capable of communication as well as feelings of compassion, empathy and love.

Del Toro weaves a fantastic tale around this romance in the cold war era which is largely made possible and believable by an Oscar worthy performance from an excellent Sally Hawkins who is ably supported by Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlberg as well as Michael Shannon. Great music by Alexandre Desplat and vivid visuals from Dan Laustsen add further allure to this moving fable.

That a story could be so simple, surreal, yet layered in so many subtle shades and suffused with such a gentle and generous spirit all through is an extraordinary achievement of this ace auteur for, in less trained hands, it could have so easily become a caricature or worse. 

A MUST WATCH !!

RATING - 4/5

COMING HOME (aka GUI LAI) (CHINESE) (2014)

What is a home ? Is it just four walls under a roof that provide shelter to a family ? Or.. Is it the sense of belonging that every member of a family holds toward each other and to the family as a whole ..? Indeed, it is the confluence of souls that find solace and succour in one another, especially when they wade through turbid tides of troubled times. Noted director Zhang Yimou's Coming Home explores this theme in a family drama set in the tumultuous era of Chinese cultural revolution (1966-76).

It recounts the story of a small Chinese family of Professor Lu Yanshi (Chen Daoming), his wife Feng Wan Yu (Gong Li) and their daughter - Dandan (Hang Huiwen). Early in the movie, at the height of cultural revolution, we find this  family is thrown into disarray when Professor Lu is forcibly separated from his wife and infant daughter on being accused of anti-national activities. He is one among the  millions who are incarcerated and relegated to a labour camp for a long sentence. Several years pass by as we see that, under the watchful glare of the state which is wary of Lu's status of an anti-national, Feng is struggling to make ends meet as a teacher even as Dandan, a student at the ballet academy, is struggling in her own way to land a part of lead in a prestigious stage show. When Lu makes a desperate attempt to flee his captors and reunite with his family, Feng is having a difficult dilemma between rejoicing his escape, being wary of Dandan who barely remembers him and sees him merely as the source of their miserable status and the state which puts them under a microscope to recapture him if he contacts them. Ultimately, when he does return home, he is quickly pounced upon by the state authorities who were tipped off by Dandan on the hope that such loyalty would help her secure that coveted part in the show. Fate plays a cruel trick as soon after the arrest, Dandan is spurned for that role as she is still seen as the daughter of an outlaw and her mother shuts her out for what she sees an unforgivable betrayal. Some years later, when Lu is released after the Cultural Revolution, he returns to find his family shattered as his wife is suffering from an amnesia and his daughter is forced to eke out a living as a textile worker. Feng is unable to recognise Lu as her husband and she continues to wait for him to return from incarceration. The rest of the movie narrates the attempts of Yu to rebuild his family and reconnect to his wife.

Yimou's narrative is subtle, yet profound in observations. It is indeed a travesty when you require an official letter to recognise somebody who is your own. And, at times, even that is not proof enough. Feng's loss of memory is perhaps, her pathetic, final attempt to shut out a State that seeks to seep down and intrude into every element of her existence to enforce a compliance to its prescribed code of conduct. 

Through the prism of this family, the director showcases how an authoritarian state can appropriate one's life so ruthlessly that the citizens remain helpless and mute spectator as their life and family get trampled over by the giant wheels of a State machinery which pulls its entire citizenry in a particular direction to a predetermined destination. The instruments of the state intrude into every sphere of their life to suffocate them off any meaningful independence in exercise of their choices and where the individuals and their every aspiration is subordinated to the professed Party line and jingoistic nationalism.

The movie is anchored by stellar performances from the three leads - a spellbinding Gong Li and equally spectacular performances by Chen & Zhang who portray the multiple nuances of their roles effectively. Yimou's movie is ultimately a tale of triumph of the human spirit and the endless love it is capable of as well as the phenomenal power of such love to emancipate, enliven, energize and create beauty from bleakest of circumstances. 

The poignant, multi-layered movie replete with metaphors which premiered in Cannes in 2014 has won several accolades at several film festivals across the world.

AN EXCELLENT WATCH !!

RATING - 4/5