Gold is a piece of fluff full of Alphonse Puthren's indulgences. Many of these filmmaking quirks worked for his previous movies, but they are mere gimmicks here. There are many elements unrelated to the main story that make the film, deserving of being a short, at least one hour longer.
Read Full Review
Anjali Menon's Wonder Women is more of an extended short film about some pregnant women who appear for a group therapy session on pregnancy and labor. These women are from different social classes with different life experiences, and the film is about how pregnancy unifies them.
Read Full Review
You cannot look away from what the makers say in Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey. It is admirable how they narrate this toxic marriage story. It is not often that you burst out laughing while watching a film like this.
Read Full Review
Kooman makes a strong case for Jeethu Joseph's craft as a filmmaker. Good, solid acting, a terrific plot, and Jeethu Joseph's signature twists all add up to a compelling thriller.
Read Full Review
Kumari has a splendid production design, creating a sense of despair and impending doom. The attempt here is to make a Tumbbad-like world with monsters and greedy, power-hungry people. The attempt is noble and the film is watchable, but the overemphasis on production design often weighs it down.
Read Full Review
The point that Kotthu makes is like the Gandhian ideology, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." Thankfully, the makers do not rub our noses in the messaging here. In other words, there is an engaging story of friendship and family in Kotthu.
Read Full Review
Appan is a compelling exploration of toxic masculinity. It is not an easy film to watch, though. The film is often a bit solemn and somber, but it is engaging throughout thanks to the performances.
Read Full Review
Writer-Director Liju Krishna's Padavettu uses a wild boar metaphor to tell a powerful tale of political call-to-arms. This is a delightful film to watch in a theater, with great cinematography, wonderful music, and terrific performances across the board.
Read Full Review
Not every film can be inclusive, but with its cringe-worthy dialogues and plot, Vysakh's Monster does a disservice to the LGBTQ+ community. It is among the many unforgivable sins this Monster commits.
Read Full Review
Director Sangeeth and his writers Aneesh Anjali and Vinoy Thomas mean Palthu Janwar as the coming-of-age story of the protagonist and his relationship with animals. The setting of Palthu Janwar is small, the conflicts in it are simple, and its resolutions are straightforward.
Read Full Review
A couple of plot twists in 'Ottu' may be interesting, but their inclusion seems more like an afterthought. It's like director Fellini and his writer S. Sanjeev settled on these twists when discussing multiple options over a cup of coffee.
Read Full Review
Oru Thekkan Thallu Case uses a set of quirks and colorful characters to tell a mostly engaging story about gang wars in a quaint village. I did not feel too bored or disinterested during the run time of the film, even though it lacks depth.
Read Full Review