Haider (2014)

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Writers:  William Shakespeare (Based on Hamlet), Basharat Peer, Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast:       Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon
Language: Hindi

A young man returns to Kashmir after his father's disappearance. As he seeks answers for his father's disappearance, he ends up being tugged into the politics of his state which is reflected in his family as well with his uncle being on the other side of it. It is a modern day adaptation of William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', set amidst the insurgency-hit Kashmir conflicts of 1995 and civilian disappearances.

I haven't read Hamlet or, in fact, any other works of William Shakespeare and my only familiarity with his works is through the film adaptations that I have seen. To be honest, I don't remember many of them either because of my unfamiliarity with Shakespeare's work and the only one I can say for sure is Akira Kurosawa's 'Ran', which is supposed to be an adaptation of 'King Lear'. Haider is supposed to be the third one in Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespearean trilogy with the other two being 'Maqbool' and 'Omkara', both of which I have not seen. In fact I haven't seen any of the films from the director prior to this.

The film doesn't shy away from showing what happened/is happening in Kashmir and doesn't try to portray Indian state and its army in a good light. I was pleasantly surprised by the frankness with which it dealt with those issues without having to add caveats everywhere. The only time that it does is during the end credits where it says it has been relative peace there during recent times and Indian Army did great work during the recent Kashmir floods. It is a testament to the democratic credentials of Indian state that we allow such films even though there were some twitter campaign asking for the boycott of this film. I also doubt whether such films will be tolerated in the immediate future under the current right-wing regime as they have installed people from their nationalistic/jingoistic fold into the film certification board since. 

Coming back to the film, the first two-thirds of it is just great up till the wedding scene of Haider's mother and his conniving uncle. Then the director decides to go full Bollywood on us using a song sequence in which Haider dances to a song, whose lyrics tells the tale of betrayal in a laughably melodramatic fashion. From then on the film involves too many twists and turns, all of which leaves us feeling a bit jarred by the experience. Still, there are some great scenes during that as well. I don't know if the director decided for all these convolutions to stay true to the original play but it doesn't feel like a tragedy at the end.   

I read up a bit on the character 'Hamlet' from wikipedia and it seems he is someone with philosophical & psychological complexity. You don't expect all of that in a film adaptation which is constrained by other factors like making it work in a modern sense. Still, the director manages to add things like iconic dialog of 'To be or Not to be' and the Oedipal relationship between Hamlet/Haider and his mother. The latter is quite subtle in the initial stages of the film but reveals itself fully prior to the wedding when the mother (Tabu) reminisce that when he was younger, he used to say that he would marry her when he grows up. Freud had analysed these aspects in Hamlet by stating that Hamlet's hesitation in killing his uncle was due to his desire for his mother and was sub-consciously thankful to his uncle for getting rid of his father. To that level, the film doesn't go since Haider is shown to be too fond of his father and some silly religious reasoning is given in that scene where he spares his uncle. 

Overall, Haider is a pretty good watch even though its first half is much superior to its rather average second half. Cinematography is excellent, capturing the beauty of Kashmir well in a realistic fashion without resorting to 'tourist post cards' kind of methods, and is well-acted on the whole. Tabu's character is given the most complexity and she carries it well. Haider/Hamlet is quite binary. Irrfan Khan has an extended special appearance and the first instance when he arrives on screen, just before interval, is kick-ass. They have used/stole the initial bit from Moby's 'Extreme Ways', from the Bourne Series, during couple of pivotal scenes which didn't work at all because of my familiarity with that piece of music. There is also a nice reference to 'The Godfather' with the hiding of pistol behind the flush tank scene. Prakash Jha could learn something from that scene because that is how you do it in a subtle manner in stead of his 'References Overload' in 'Rajneeti'. Haider was on the whole a financial and critical success, earning five national awards as well as some international ones. Good to see a mature Indian film set in Kashmir dealing with the politics of it without being manipulative at all.

Rating: 3.5/5

                                                                              

Housebound (2014)

Director: Gerard Johnstone
Writer:    Gerard Johnstone
Cast:       Morgana O'Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru

Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention, Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the presence of her blabbermouth mum, who thinks the house is haunted. However, when she too becomes privy to unsettling whispers and strange bumps in the night, she begins to wonder whether she's inherited her overactive imagination, or if the house is in fact possessed by a hostile spirit who's less than happy about the new living arrangement. 

So, this is just the second film from New Zealand that I have ever watched with the other one being the excellent 'What We Do In The Shadows', which also came out last year. It was only after seeing this film getting compared with that one did I actually came to know about it and both films are comedy ones. While WWDITS was more in a spoof documentary style, extended out of a short film, Housebound mixes several genres expertly giving it a very unique feel to it. It starts off as a supernatural horror film and then proceeds to psychological thriller category and ends up as a mystery thriller while navigating through all this by using acid comedy. One could also make comparisons to films in 'Cornetto Trilogy' but Housebound works more on a scary level with the style of humor being very different as well.

The role of main protagonist is played expertly by Morgana O'Reilly who seems stuck into her teenage self with the attitude that rest of the world is too stupid for her liking. It works very well. The humor in it will surprise you and there are portions in the film in which it works entirely in the thriller mode. We care sufficiently for the characters to really feel worried about their safety. There are plenty of gory scenes but the ending is a bit on the cheesy side. I felt very happy at seeing a scene where a mobile rings for an extended time and the ringtone turned out to be 'Hello Moto', which is also the same one that I use. It actually made me feel more appreciative of the ringtone since I kind of hate hearing it in real life as I hate attending phone calls. 

Overall it is a great watch and the running time of 110 minutes, slightly on the higher side, is used to navigate through the different genres. That kind of thing is very risky to do since you can very easily lose the audience but they manage to pull it off effortlessly. The film also reminded me of the ones from the McDonagh brothers (In Bruges, Calvary) and is a definite watch for those who like those kind of films. I will be adding this one into my 'Best of 2014' list. There is gonna be an American remake for this film and I can't see the fucking point since it is in the same fucking language, albeit with accents.

Rating: 4/5

                                                                       

La Vénus à la fourrure (Venus in Fur) (2013)

Director: Roman Polanski
Writers:  David Ives, Roman Polanski
Cast:      Emmanuelle Seigner, Matthieu Amalric
Language: French

An actress, who came late for an audition, tries to convince a director how she's perfect for a role in his upcoming production. The entire film features only these two characters and is totally dialog driven, which is largely them reading the lines of the play. It is based on the play of same name by American playwright David Eves, which itself was inspired by Leopold von Sacher-Mascoh's novel 'Venus in Furs'. The word Masochism is of course derived from the name of the Austrian author and that is a trivia you get from this film.

Emmanuelle Seigner is real-life partner of Roman Polanski and the way Matthieu Amalric plays his role is like he is mimicking Roman Polanski. So the boundary between what is fiction and what is real is really blurred, like it is in the film itself between the two characters, which is again blurred in the play within the play. So that should itself be enough to say that the film is bit of a mindfuck and am not sure entirely what it is going for in terms of an actual plot. The surface level impression is that the actress is a feminist activist and is irked by the sexism in the play and the whole thing is a charade to punish the director for it.  

I think we can give Polanski the benefit of doubt and assume that the film is not really about the plot but how audience's moods are affected by the film. The director in it represents the audience, and like us, he is also exasperated by the actress who is holding him up by her late arrival and demand for an audition. Even though the poster of the film convey a sensuality, there is not much of that on offer. But as soon as the audition starts, we are intrigued by it and the director also goes through the same change of emotions and culminates with the absurd ending. I might be being pretentious here but that is what I think he was going for.

Overall, it ends up being a good watch even though I was exasperated by it initially. It is difficult to follow such dialog heavy films when you are relying entirely on subtitles and to make matters worse, there was a slight lag in the print that I saw. The budget must have been meager since the entire film was set in one place and involved only two actors. It is Polanski's first non-English-language film in 51 years. His previous feature film, 'Carnage', also had this play like feel to it and is the best one among his recent outings.

Rating: 3/5

                                                                         

Unfriended (Cybernatural) (2014)

Director: Levan Gabriadze
Writer:   Nelson Greaves
Cast:      Heather Sossaman, Mathew Bohrer, Courtney Halverson

A group of online chat room friends find themselves haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force which is using various online accounts of their dead friend to contact them. The entire film is set in real time on a character's computer screen. 

It is another one of those films that can be classed in the found-footage supernatural horror category, a genre of which I am not a big fan of. I got interested in the film because of 'seeing an entire film through what is happening on a computer screen' aspect of it. I guess, only those who are familiar with using Skype, Facebook, Gmail, different sounds of their notifications etc will be interested in this film, which means a large chunk of 15-35-year-olds won't find the way it is filmed to be problematic at all. Maybe that is why it has been a huge box-office success, grossing $54 million on the meager budget of million dollars. It was shot over just 16 days as well. 

For me, the film was very interesting in the first 45 minutes or so because of the novelty factor after which it gets a bit tiring and cliched. It deals with a very relevant theme of cyber-bullying but mixing it with supernatural horror genre didn't fascinate me very much. I just wish they had done something much more interesting with the innovative idea of having the film shot from the perspective of looking at someone's computer screen. There is this film 'The Dirties' from 2013, which mixed the issues of bullying and school shootouts in an expertly fashion and is a definite recommendation from my side. Unfriended is a decent one-time watch but will be considered as a serious missed opportunity in an artistic sense. I guess the makers won't care because of the financial success and a sequel already greenlit. I hate Hollywood!!!

PS: It seems American teenagers don't know how to use Ctrl C and Ctrl V. Fucking amateurs!!!

Rating: 2.5/5

                                                                            

Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writers:  Thomas Hardy, David Nicholls
Cast:       Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturrdige

In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor. It is an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel with the same name and is actually the fourth adaptation of novel to the screen as a feature length film.

I avoid going through synopsis of a film as much as possible because it is always best when you know nothing about them going in. It being directed by Thomas Vinterberg (Festen, Jagten) should be reason enough to check it out and I did see the name of Tom Hardy attached to it. Alas, it was the writer Thomas Hardy that they were referring to but it doesn't matter because we got the Scandinavian version of the actor Tom Hardy in it, Matthias Schoenaerts. For Schoenaerts, it is a role very much against type considering the films that I have watched him in are 'Rust and Bone' and 'Bullhead', both of which had him playing nearly deranged physical characters. 

The chief role in the film is of course played excellently by Carey Mulligan. Her character can best be described as a confused feminist living anachronistically in Victorian England. Some might also describe her as a 'cock-tease'. The choices that she makes could be described as a bit stereo-typical when viewed from a modern context but these stereotypes are anyway based on broad gender generalizations that we can make from an evolutionary perspective. What I am talking about is her choosing the flash Sergeant in stead of the two gentlemen who courted her. When you adapt a novel into a film, because of the time constraints, you do get a feeling that they are cramming a lot into it and seems very plot heavy. I generally prefer films that don't rely too much on plot, but one should give some leeway when viewing such adaptations, because they have to stay quite true to the source material. 

Overall it is a very good watch with excellent performances from all the main characters. The color tone of the film is quite similar to how it was in 'The Hunt'. The actions that Bathsheba takes must have been scandalous for the time it is set in and the film doesn't go into that very deeply but trusts the intelligence of the audience to guess how it must have for her from the title of the film itself. Film is worth checking out if you are a fan of Vinterberg or if you just fancy Victorian period films. If you like it, I would recommend the excellent Danish film 'A Royal Affair' as well.

Rating: 3.5/5  

                                                                      

Best Malayalam Films From Recent Times

It seems like there has been a renewed interest in Malayalam cinema off late owing to the successes of films like 'Drishyam' & 'Premam'. I consider the period 1980-1995 to be the golden age of Malayalm cinema and what followed after that was a period characterized by very bleak mediocrity. That time-period coincided with the utter dominance of the two stalwarts, Mohanlal & Mammootty, in all areas of the industry including the creative process and the writers/directors took backseats as films were tailor made for them to 'Perform' in larger than life roles. A bi-product of that was the creation of fans associations and the intense competition between the two sets resulting in the making of some really bad films. It is not fair to just blame the two stars and their asshole sets of fans for the fall in standard since there was also a dearth of talent in all other areas of the industry to accentuate the situation.

Things are beginning to change and a generational shift is well and truly happening. Even though some people are calling this to be again a golden age for Malayalam cinema, I am bit more cautious and would class it just as a recovery from the doldrums. The films that gets noticed and mentioned by non-malayalees are the big box office successes and as is often the case, much better films goes under the radar. So here is a list of what in my opinion are the best Malayalam films from recent times, which I define as post 2010...

1. Angamaly Diaries (Lijo Jose Pellissery)
2. Maheshinte Prathikaram (Dileesh Pothan)
3. Maayanadhi (Aashiq Abu)
4. Ozhivudivasathe Kali (Sanal Kumar Sasidharan)
5. Akam (Shalini Usha Nair)
6. Njan Steve Lopez (Rajeev Ravi)
7. Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (Dileesh Pothan)
8. Sexy Durga (Sanal Kumar Sasidharan)
9. Monsoon Mangoes (Abhi Varghese)
10. Munnariyippu (Venu)
11. Chaappa Kurish (Sameer Thahir)
12. Vedivazhipadu (Shambhu Purushothaman)
13. Neram (Alphonse Puthran)
14. Aadu Oru Bheekara Jeeviyanu (Midhun Manuel Thomas)
15. Annayum Rasoolum (Rajeev Ravi)
16. Kammattipaadam (Rajeev Ravi)
17. Idi (Sajid Yahiya)
18. Munroe Thuruthu (Manu)
19. Veettilekkulla Vazhi (Dr. Biju)
20. Lukka Chuppi (Bash Mohammed)
21. Rakshadhikari Baiju (Ranjan Pramod)
22. Premam (Alphonse Puthran)
23. Shutter (Joy Mathew)
24. Double Barrel (Lijo Jose Pellisery)
25. 1983 (Abrid Shine)  
26. Drishyam (Jeethu Joseph)

മണിച്ചിത്രത്താഴ് (Manichithrathazhu) (1993)

Directors: Fazil, Priyadarshan, Sibi Malayil, Siddique-Lal
Writer:     Madhu Muttam
Cast:        Shoabhana, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi
Language: Malayalam

A young couple, Ganga (Shobhana) and Nakulan (Suresh Gopi), arrives at Nakulan's ancestral home, knows as Madampalli, for a vacation. Hailing from a family that follows tradition and superstitions, Nakulan's uncle Thampi (Nedumudi Venu) objects to the couple's idea of moving into the allegedly haunted mansion, which they ignore. The couple moves in, following which seemingly supernatural events begin to happen. 

Film can be best classed as a Psychological thriller and is widely considered as one of the best Malayalam films of all time. We Malayalees, exhibit a lot of superiority complex and generally see rest of India (Bengalis are an exception for some reason, maybe communism) as how Developed nations perceive under-developed ones-be it in the economic sense or when it comes to art and culture. So Manchithrathazhu, which came out in early 90s, is often cited as another one of these justification for this sense of superiority because it is a film which was much ahead of its time for general Indian audience and the fact that it was made in Malayalam and was a huge success in Kerala even as early an in 1993 kind of justifies our awesomeness. Also the fact that it was remade into several other languages a decade or so later but they still had to add a lot of unnecessary things to make it palatable for those audience as a commercial cinema, strengthens our conviction that rest of India is so behind. 

All the above xenophobia aside, what makes the film such a beauty is that it has all the elements that are required from a commercial point of view but it does it in such a way that it respects the intelligence of the audience. It is a film which satisfies all kind of people but I was shit-scared when I saw it for the first time in a theater as a seven-year-old. I remember saying special prayers before going to bed (those were the days) and since I was living in an old 'Tharavadu' like house in those days, we had designated a guest room as our own version of 'Thekkini' from the film and used to not go there after that. I really had seen it then as a horror film and it took me a second viewing some 5 years later to realize that there is nothing supernatural about it. 

Even though Fazil is given credit as the director of this  film, it also credits Priyadarshan, Sibi Malayil and Siddique-Lal as second unit directors. That itself shows the ambition of the film since all of them were leading film directors in Malayalam Cinema during that time. It can be a recipe for disaster but their output in the film is seamless. The water-tight screenplay from Madhu Muttam is the biggest reason for its success and I guess all the directors involved would also have contributed to it, especially for the comedy parts. I am really interested in a documentary interviewing all these people behind the camera to describe how this collaborative effort happened and what was the level of contribution from each of them. 

What stood out for me during this watch was the level of detail involved in the film and how well they manage to convey it without feeling like expositions. I had watched 'Back to the Future' recently and its script is held up as some sort of perfection for how well every detail of it in the beginning has a significant bearing later in the film. I am not really a big fan of that since it is also some sort of convolution. I like it when the film have things in it which doesn't have anything to do with the plot per se but adds minor but really cool things to it in terms of world building and fleshing out supporting characters. 'John Wick' and 'Mad Max: Fury Road' from recent times are good examples of such films. In Manichithrathazhu, there is a ten-minute sequence in the beginning through which the dynamics of relationship between the different families in it is established in a neat fashion. The tension between Nedmudi's and Innocent's families is not really a necessary detail for the plot of the film but such small details are really great to have. Also, almost all the characters from the film are so well developed, without having to dedicate much time on an individual basis, that you can really describe what kind of personality they have and why they behave like they behave when put in the larger family relationship context. I am talking about characters played by Nedumudi, Innocent, KPAC Lalitha, Sudheesh and characters like 'Alli' and 'Sreedevi'. All of this is done with minimum fuss. The sequence in which KPAC Lalitha is seemingly coming on to her husband character played by Innocent and both of them gets embarrassed when 'Sreedevi' enters the room is a case in point. That scene can be purely seen as a comedy one but it is a nice little detail that the spinster, Sreedevi, is the third person involved in it and it kind of adds to her status as a tragic figure in the family. Of course, we get more details regarding her relationship with Nakulan only later on in the film, but these are just nice little things that you notice on repeat watches regarding how intelligently this film was made.

The film won National Award for 'Best Popular Film for Providing Wholesome Entertainment' and Shobhana was awarded National Award for 'Best Actress'.  It broke the record to become the Highest Grossing Malayalam film of all time then and I suspect if you adjust for inflation and calculate, it might still be holding that record. It is a really a worthy one to hold that record because I think no other films from Malayalam have managed such a fine balance when it comes to making a film that is so commercial yet so intelligent. I have embedded a youtube link for the film with English subtitles for those who are interested to watch it in all its glory.

Rating: 5/5