Gender and Sexual norm subject has been gathering good momentum in Indian cinema for the last few years. The approach and treatment from film makers has been different. The films like Aligarh, Fire stuck to the subject on a serious note while films like Badhaai Do took a lighter approach. Malayalam film attempts are far and few, the two recent films which comes to mind are Moothon and Mumbai Police, but they just scratched the surface and those are just side tracks. Now The Great Indian Kitchen movie fame Jeo Baby has taken a totally different approach on this taboo subject. And boy he delivered it with a detailing dignity. Joe's take on perceptions of love, prejudice and companionship is a memorable watch.
There is a saying the deepest and most intimate conversations take place in silences. And that is the Core of this film. The film also shows you dont need to raise flags, you dont need to have blood boiling arguments on these sensitive topics. This self-indulgent understated story moves subtlety yet quietly to deliver a searing story. It focuses on contrast between the thoughts, feelings, and reactions of people so damn well. Its a strong examination of the persistence of the past and stability of the present. Here the director mixes politics beautifully and how they tries to capitalize on the so called progressiveness aspects. They know the world needs to accept and move on. So the motive to support becomes stronger.
Mammootty is a revelation and he is picking characters and roles so wisely in the last two years. He is willing to take risk and try out new things devoid of stardom. He proves once again that you dont need to deliver every time with heavy duty dialogues and mass appeal. The eyes , the facial expression and body movements are impeccable and delivers a blow. This to me is Amaram, Thaniyavartanam kind performance. Jyotika made a terrific come back too. I dont know the other actors that well but they played their part superbly. There are two or three scenes which will stay with for a long time.
Court room scenes covers the back story in a minimilastic yet in a powerful way. Those are the scenes which tries to answer the questions like why now, trigger point and what next. Sometimes they feel so over simplified and thats where you wish if the real flash back act would have made more impact. You see this constant denial through out and that makes you wonder if there is any truth to the case filing. The background music brought back memories of vintage Ilaiyaraaja and Johnson. The music is an integral part of this movie which brings the emotional feel closer to home. Except for the last but one scene everything worked for me in this movie.
Verdict - 4/5(Break Free)