Director: Sidharth Srinivasan
Year: 2020
Country: India
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
Following the death of her father, a woman puts her date to work in helping the rest of her family prepare the body to cross over into the next life, yet when he realizes the true nature of what they invited him over for he tries to get out of the impending ceremony before it’s too late.
Review:
Overall, this was a highly enjoyable slow-burn genre effort. Among it’s better qualities is the casual usage of the family’s strict traditions and beliefs coming to the forefront of the story here. Initially believing he’s scoring a random hook-up at a nightclub and going back to her house where he discovers the grisly sight, this then turns into the series of family’s rituals for their dying husband that he keeps inadvertently messing up and causing irritation amongst them because of the miscommunication. The various paraphernalia and ritual aesthetics around the house and the tactics they have to perform, from the prayers and preparations that have to be offered and ignoring the convulsions of the deceased who may or may not be offering a warning, this generates a fine atmosphere for the film early on.
From here, the way the ritual gets carried out with exacting precision makes this feel quite dark and chilling. The idea of the figure haunting them in the house is a truly nightmarish figure with the muddy appearance, darkened atmosphere hiding the majority of its appearances until the last possible moment in regards to where the outcome of this one shifts leading into the last half. Featuring the full reveal of what they’re intending with the ceremony in regards to fending off the effects of the curse, the change in character carries on as his reduced mental state at being there causes him to undergo the ritual as intended which adds a special air of menace to the scenes. As this offers a fun and enjoyable atmosphere during the best moments of the film, this has a lot to like overall.
There are some big flaws to be found in the film. One of it’s biggest issues is seemingly random and unnecessary extra elements present in the storyline here to make this somewhat longer than it really should be. The focus on the in-fighting and constant disagreements between the family to the point of feeling exceptionally out-of-place in such an event. That’s where this tends to feel underwhelming as the idea comes off forced due to the rigid structural system employed for the ritual is so where it feels the need to deviate into petty squabbling and bickering from the sisters doesn’t seem natural. Plus, that also has the unfortunate side-effect of making this way too relaxed and slow-going, taking forever to get to the main point of the story which can make this seem a little too long at points. It’s not distracting but has enough to lower it.
Overview: ***.5/5
A bit overlong and slightly too slow for its own good, nonetheless this is a solid and highly enjoyable slow-burn genre effort which gets quite a lot to like with some great aspects here. Give this a look if you’re a fan of these types of films or looking for a dark and chilling genre effort, while viewers who are turned off by the flaws or not interested in the style should heed caution.
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