ramsoundareswaran

The film begins by introducing us to the aftermath of something. We see the tight close-ups of Joaquin Phoenix doing some cleanup. We see blood and a hammer so we know it's something bad but that's all director Lynne Ramsay shows us. And that's enough for us to know what might have happened. Ramsay does this on multiple occasions in the film. She doesn't spoon feed but hints. That's one of the most fascinating things about 'You were never really here'. The film respects, and trusts it's audience to connect the dots. There are a lot of emotions in this film and all of them are just alluded to rather than told. Tight framing combined with excellent composition and movement convey everything without much dialogue. Joaquin Phoenix totally gets what Ramsay is going for and delivers one of the most intense performances you'll see in a long time. Everything he does has immense psychological weight behind it. The way he talks, looks, whimpers, cries...just terrific. The rest of the cast did a solid job. The film might not be everyone's cup of tea because this is a slow burn that uses mood, instead of plot development, to create tension. I prefer Ramsay's earlier work 'We need to talk about Kevin' to this but yet one can't deny that she is a damn good filmmaker and this a damn good film.

Jacques Audiard is known to make films about the outsiders, the people in the fringes of the society and Dheepan is no different. It's about a Srilankan Tamil "family" seeking refuge in Europe. I say "family" because they're not really one. By the end of Srilankan civil war a former LTTE soldier finds a random woman and a girl and they all agree to take the identity of a deceased family to gain entry into Europe. This is not a spoiler because the film is not about the fabrication of a fake family rather how this fake family learn to become a real one. Once the film shifts to the Drug-Mafia controlled outskirts of Paris we slowly realise that all this family has managed is to move from one combat zone to another. They're still surrounded by gun-slinging guards in this unknown foreign land. But it is here the film finds it's most tender portions where these three strangers learn to live together as a family. All three actors deliver terrific understated performances. Audiard, too, understands less is more for the better part of the film until the very end where the film falters. The climax seems hasty as it enters action territory, rather odd for such a subtle film. But in the end you could only appreciate a master who is relentless in expressing his artistry in the way he wants.

Both STR's and Venkat Prabhu's careers really needed a home run for them to stay relevant and 'Maanadu' is exactly that. The film takes on Time Loop as it's central conceit and weaves a taut screenplay that seldom drags. Once we're past the generic first 15 minutes the film just takes off into a nail-biting thriller. It keeps on building and most of the twists work really well. It's not necessarily a new concept to Hollywood (Groundhog Day, Edge of Tomorrow) but is definitely a novelty for Tamil mainstream. The story needs a dangerous but wildly entertaining villain for it to work and who better to do it than SJ Suryah. His enjoyably exaggerated performances over time have made me think that he might be the Jim Carrey of Tamil cinema. There are some 'laugh out loud' moments involving him and YG Mahendran, who was solid. Yuvan gives a typically driving score that keeps up with the film's pace. All in all VP has successfully blended high concept into a tight masala screenplay to deliver one hell of an entertainer.