Malayalam Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A poignant satire set around Morbidity
Film: Ee Ma Yau
Set in Chellanam, Kochi, the story of Ee. Ma. Yau revolves around the death of Vavachan Mesthiri in a coastal village. It showcases the events that unfold between two evenings and looks at death from different perspectives.
Cast: Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Pauly Valsan, Dileesh Pothan, Kainakari Thangaraj, Krishna Padmakumar
Director: Lijo Jose Pellisery
Rating: * * * *
Runtime: 128 mins
Angamaly Diaries’ director Lijo Jose Pellisery beckons the audience with yet another unique offering –this time a saturnine satire that hinges on the cultural expression of a coastal community in small town , Chellanam , Kerala. Morbidity notwithstanding, this film has a piquant dynamism that rides on basic human emotions and black humour.
Eeshi(Chemban Vinod Jose) is a small time chit-fund manager, distressed by the demonetisation curbs on home savings while his father Vavachan Meisthiri( Kainakari Thangaraj), a carpenter of repute who is now a wastrel and drunk, is rather fond of staying away from home for long periods. This time though, he comes back with a live duck and some booze, shares a session with his son and promptly falls dead. But just before he dies he manages to eke out a promise ( of giving him a funeral fit for a king) and his son spends the rest of the runtime trying to put together such an event from the meagre resources at his disposal.
The intriguing narrative, similar in theme to Don Palathara’s ‘Shavam’ and the much lauded Kannada film ‘Thithi,’ is studded with wonderfully rounded characters –each of whom we see as human beings with failings trying to rise above their individual weaknesses in an effort to help Eeshi manage the impossible. The narrative broadens its journey through resounding inferences on several mini-themes ; the inevitability of death ; the irony of contradictory perceptions regarding its occurrence ; the economic fallout of demonetisation among the marginalised ; the spirit of wish fulfilment that keeps the family bonds alive ; the community networks that continue to thrive on people connect ; the helpfulness of a neighbourhood that overcomes individual restrictions brought on by caste, class and religion ; the belief systems that plague our existence while we are alive – all leading up to a stunning representation of a regal funeral procession that would find it’s match only in an Egyptian hieroglyphic!
This film is a special experience – one that illuminates the very nature of human beings when tragedy strikes. The actors are all first rate and the direction keeps you entranced in the haunting rhythms of grief compounded by poverty and human weaknesses. The cinematography, editing and background score combine beautifully to help make this a completely immersive experience!
Johnsont307@gmail.com
Film: Ee Ma Yau
Set in Chellanam, Kochi, the story of Ee. Ma. Yau revolves around the death of Vavachan Mesthiri in a coastal village. It showcases the events that unfold between two evenings and looks at death from different perspectives.
Cast: Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Pauly Valsan, Dileesh Pothan, Kainakari Thangaraj, Krishna Padmakumar
Director: Lijo Jose Pellisery
Rating: * * * *
Runtime: 128 mins
Angamaly Diaries’ director Lijo Jose Pellisery beckons the audience with yet another unique offering –this time a saturnine satire that hinges on the cultural expression of a coastal community in small town , Chellanam , Kerala. Morbidity notwithstanding, this film has a piquant dynamism that rides on basic human emotions and black humour.
Eeshi(Chemban Vinod Jose) is a small time chit-fund manager, distressed by the demonetisation curbs on home savings while his father Vavachan Meisthiri( Kainakari Thangaraj), a carpenter of repute who is now a wastrel and drunk, is rather fond of staying away from home for long periods. This time though, he comes back with a live duck and some booze, shares a session with his son and promptly falls dead. But just before he dies he manages to eke out a promise ( of giving him a funeral fit for a king) and his son spends the rest of the runtime trying to put together such an event from the meagre resources at his disposal.
The intriguing narrative, similar in theme to Don Palathara’s ‘Shavam’ and the much lauded Kannada film ‘Thithi,’ is studded with wonderfully rounded characters –each of whom we see as human beings with failings trying to rise above their individual weaknesses in an effort to help Eeshi manage the impossible. The narrative broadens its journey through resounding inferences on several mini-themes ; the inevitability of death ; the irony of contradictory perceptions regarding its occurrence ; the economic fallout of demonetisation among the marginalised ; the spirit of wish fulfilment that keeps the family bonds alive ; the community networks that continue to thrive on people connect ; the helpfulness of a neighbourhood that overcomes individual restrictions brought on by caste, class and religion ; the belief systems that plague our existence while we are alive – all leading up to a stunning representation of a regal funeral procession that would find it’s match only in an Egyptian hieroglyphic!
This film is a special experience – one that illuminates the very nature of human beings when tragedy strikes. The actors are all first rate and the direction keeps you entranced in the haunting rhythms of grief compounded by poverty and human weaknesses. The cinematography, editing and background score combine beautifully to help make this a completely immersive experience!
Johnsont307@gmail.com
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