Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case

Having known about the unsettling case of Jolly Joseph's cunning serial killings, Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case' (2023) managed to present the story in a raw and gripping manner. The unique storytelling approach made the narrative truly stand out. It's important to note that this case is ongoing and still in the trial process, which sets limitations on a complete personal postmortem from Jolly's perspective. Nonetheless, this documentary provided a satisfying and spine-chilling storytelling experience. The director and the team deserve applause for crafting a haunting yet captivating portrayal of this ongoing and impactful story.

If you're familiar with Asiaville's 2020 Spotify podcast Death, Lies & Cyanide, or if you're from Kerala (or lived there in the past few years at least), you'd already know the entire chronology of events in this case. Of course, the most striking element here is that a woman allegedly committed these heinous crimes. The podcast I mentioned has a subtle horror undertone to it (backed by a superb score and a terrific narration), whereas Christo Tomy's Netflix documentary plays out more like a mystery thriller.

The reenactments are neatly done, and the interviews give us added insight from the family's perspective, especially from an emotional angle. The editing pattern is reminiscent of what we've seen in several Netflix productions (of this kind) in recent times, replete with jumpcuts, family-tree diagrams, and a non-linear style of presentation. It would've been interesting (although not practical) to hear from Jolly herself, but since the trials are ongoing and will probably take years to conclude, I understand why Netflix went the route it did.

Just watch it! Go ahead and watch it instead of looking at the rating! Its probably 6/10 cuz not many people would have watched it yet! You will not feel bored for even a second is what I can absolutely surely tell you! Such an amazing direction and the background music to top it off! I initially thought cuz it's a documentary will I feel bored but nah! The story telling from the original family members and with the recreated scenes all of them were really sad and creepy to watch!!!👌🏻👌🏻I love how before each person died or before explaining the way they died,it first shows the picture of the person about to die and shows the birth and death year marked in red first and then shows that the said person is gonna die which leaves us in a tensed situation!

One thing to absolutely mention is the opening of this film🍿 They successfully captures the attention of the viewer from how well they did the opening! It would be a shame to stop this review without acknowledging the bgm!!That bgm is something man! When you watch the documentary and then the bgm plays it really puts you in a spot! This is my first time writing a review cuz i absolutely loved this piece! Kinda gave me dhrishyam flashbacks at certain points!

Curry & Cyanide is an absolutely gripping and disturbing documentary about the Koodathayi Cyanide killing case and includes viewpoints from many individuals involved with the events. Kudos to the sister who pursued the case relentlessly to "speak for the dead" even under intense public scorn. The creators of the series meticulously compiled the data and and superbly articulated the gruesome story related to this case. This is a psychopath story that may make you lose faith in humanity at times and will definitely leave you feeling unwell in the end. Netflix does a good job releasing these true crime documentaries.

I want to preface this review that I absolutely believe she's done it. Given the evidence and timeline there is almost no doubt that she's guilty.

And it's a really nicely made true crime film. The timeline is well worked out. Her life and motives are clearly known, and the family members clearly want the full story told. And it's frequently awful to watch. Just normal ignorance, lack of oversight and questional methods by coroners allowed her to continue.

Again I think she did it. But I felt a little uncomfortable that the only 'other side of the story', was some hack lawyer? Perhaps everyone who knows her turned on her. Fair enough. But the counter argument could have been narrated or at least laid out for balance. She hasn't been convicted yet, and even tho she seems completely guilty, it's til proven innocent, so it seems a bit of a hit piece. It kind of takes away from it's integrity.