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Trance (2020)
A dream-like experience! Trance!
Ever had a painting, a book or a poem that required interpretations?
Ever thought of Malayalam movies that you wanted to discuss like Mulholland Drive, Lucia etc?
Trance belongs to both the above. This movie would probably be a commercial failure. But it would definitely be one that would be talked, discussed, interpreted in more ways than one in the future.
The last hour of the movie is really a trance state. It flows like a dream. The movie has several layers and symbolism which would be meaningful if looked as a life of a religion (yes, life of a religion rather than God) and its effect in humans.
Fahad delivers a monstrous performance- he's over the top when required as a faith healer, calm when in thoughts and really emote well in his personal space, especially in scenes when he breaks down. In the beginning, whenever he looks at the mirror all lost, I felt sympathy for him. Such a powerful performance it was!
Everyone else performed well too, with special mention to Sreenath Bhasi and GVM.
It is high time that we consider Amal Neerad as a legend in cinematography. The visuals really communicate well with the audience with Resul Pookutty's incredible sound design as ample support. The background score never goes overboard like many of the recent movies.
Anwar Rasheed's direction is remarkable. His effort in bringing everything together to execute the writer's vision deserves applause. Hats off to the writer Vincent to bring up a sensitive subject.
The movie definitely would not be an easy watch and would rub many of the viewers the wrong way. For people who are going to watch, I would advise them to watch it as Viju's lucid dream living out the life of God in the present society, in this case - Jesus.
Anjaam Pathiraa (2020)
A beautiful thriller.
Yes, you read it right. This is a beautiful thriller. I thank Midhun Manuel Thomas for this splendid experience.
This is one of the best scripts in Mollywood without a doubt and arguably the best thriller in several years, since Drishyam probably.
The story follows the way most serial killer movies go, but the discoveries that the investigators go through would keep us glued to the screens, without compromising on the tension level.
The detailing in this story, even in art direction (example: in the final scene, viewers who noticed would understand) is wonderfully done. Issues are there of course but which movie doesn't, and it's a common thing in thrillers. But i can say with certainty that most loopholes one would find would be solved by some analysis of scenes or with further viewing, like how it happened to me. Midhun has tried his best to include everything as possible in the runtime of less than 2 and a half hours.
That's another best part of the movie - the editing. You would find no unnecessary cuts, no flash or additional fluff that had plagued Indian thrillers for year. There's no unnecessary scene in the movie which deviates from the main plot. It sticks to the point till the end, which is a great thing for the audience.
Performances are awesome. Be it the lead Kunjacko Boban who has delivered a brilliant performance as the obsessive psychologist who comes to terms with the reality of investigations, or be it the minor characters that appear in the latter half - everyone has given their best.
Cinematography is good. Use of red lighting in several scenes was clever. The background score may remind you of several other movies, but was very well placed throughout the movie.
What a start to the decade! I watched it second time just for the experience and for confirming several things. Would definitely recommend to everyone, as it definitely doesn't disappoint.