piano – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: I have heard only about the strings of vampire violins in the castle.

Vampire Bat: Vampires do not play music in the castle.

Vampire Owl: I have heard a lot of the same from Uncle Dracula’s room.

Vampire Bat: It is not music, but voices from the other side of immortality.

Vampire Owl: The voices do make some nice music for sure.

Vampire Bat: The voices are inherited by the castle from the adoration of vampire elders.

Vampire Owl: There is always some new mystery to be unveiled from the elders.

Vampire Bat: They are all pointed towards eternity and infinity.

Vampire Owl: Well, we all know that death is only the beginning.

Vampire Bat: Beginning of the end is the one true beginning. Just run to the other side and ask Uncle Dracula.

[Gets a ghee podi idli and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Laila Calloway (Chloe Bailey) is an extremely gifted, aspiring classical violinist who is working as a substitute music teacher while dreaming of a grand career which seemed out of the equation since her young little sister died of asthma and she could do nothing about it at all. This has led to her going through hallucinations and nightmares at times, which affects her performance on some occasions. Her best chance at a better career seems to have arrived when she meets Audra Jelani (Lynn Whitfield), a charming matriarch with unparalleled wealth and influence. Audra gives Laila an offer she cannot refuse in the form of a live-in music tutoring position to mentor her granddaughter, Zuri Jelani (Romy Woods). Laila understands that her high-society connections and high influence will guarantee her an easy path in her journey of music. Laila moves into the family’s highly luxurious estate which seems to belong to another world compared to the surroundings, and considers herself the luckiest person all of a sudden.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But the situation seems to be something they did not expect, as the atmosphere inside the mansion is very much unsettling. Audra’s daughter, Imani Walker (Anna Diop) who is pregnant, does not like Laila at all, and treats her with contempt. At the same time, Laila’s young student, Zuri (Romy Woods) always wears a mask, and is deeply withdrawn, hyper-allergic, and hides her emotions at all times after the violent murder of her father, a highly popular rapper known as Reginald Garvey Bell (Pardison Fontaine). Zuri’s abiding sadness further triggers the unresolved trauma for Laila, as she has the haunting memories of her own deceased sister coming back to her. The situation gets to be further complicated with the return of Imani’s charming handsome husband, Marcus Walker (Lucien Laviscount). Laila’s finds out that Marcus is that man with whom she had a intense and passionate sexual affair just a few days before, which she considered to be her best physical experience ever. How will the family take this secret as the house itself has so many mysteries hidden in the building?

The defence of Strung :: The feeling of mystery goes right through the movie, and there is always the thought that something big can happen at any moment with so many secrets to be revealed from not just one character. Chloe Bailey keeps elevating the movie with a wide range of emotions as she goes through unexpected situations, while Lynn Whitfield’s antagonistic side adds to the overall quality of the movie. The movie surely features rich estate set design and a vibrant cinematography also supports the same, as most of its world is nothing less than stunning within a big mansion and its surroundings. The music and sound effects really add well to the same, and keeps the mood running to suit the movie. The wild twists and emotions that run further has us interested, while red herrings bring something more to take it away from the possible right guess of the twist. The final moments extend well with its moments creating a feeling of tension that goes on and on until the solution is reached.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not reach its potential after a smart beginning, as the mystery does not get that finish it deserved. There were so many moments which could have taken in another way and made better. The twists could have also been extended in a fine manner, especially with an early connection established between two main characters and taken further with a twist as movie goes forward. The exploration of the evil and the intentions could have also been explored more to make that feeling of terror even more – as of now, it mostly exists in the background with not that much of the same shown directly or clearly. The movie also happens to be too long, and was worth not more than one and half hours, and feels stretched with a little bit too much of unnecessary details and melodrama that goes over the emotions. The feeling that the characters are over-reacting never really leaves us, and some strange dialogues also creeps in, as we keep wondering why this movie is deviating so much and wastes time in getting nowhere.

The performers of the soul :: Chloe Bailey as Laila Calloway comes up with a performance that we are going to remember for long, even though it is not a new role, with The Housemaid having its main character facing a similar situation and an angry wife and a seductive husband awaiting her. But Chloe makes sure that her role remains really good and also has some divergence associated with the same. It is to be notable that while playing a likable character, she makes the emotions of the person so much felt that we support the character even more in her complicated journey. When we look at her, there is the feeling that a Helen of Sparta with race changed would suit her more than anyone else; there is a certain amount of charm that she brings to the character which is nothing less than the same. Lynn Whitfield delivers as a seductive and manipulative matriarch with impressive aura, and the character remains one which we will remember for long. Lucien Laviscount and Anna Diop supports just fine. Romy Woods brings a lovely performance as the daughter.

How it finishes :: The movie does not reach the point where one would feel it should have reached with this kind of content as it seems to hold back on many occasions. The highly engaging thriller is not to be taken as the movie is rather slow, and the attempt to work with silence also does not work that well due to the presence of a little bit too much of melodrama. With such an interesting premise which has worked so well in the past, more could been achieved, but it is safe to say that we still have enough around here to spend some time with this one on a weekend on Jio Hotstar where it has released in India, and as the one OTT which comes with mobile recharges, more people from this part of the world would surely end up watching the flick with relative ease. As the main performers inject some much-needed charisma into the increasingly deviating movie, the interest regularly comes back, which could provide a fine feeling of being interested in a mystery which could easily bring the twist that leads to those tense final moments which serve the purpose.

Release date: 27 May 2026
Running time: 119 minutes
Directed by: Malcolm D Lee
Starring: Chloe Bailey, Lynn Whitfield, Lucien Laviscount, Anna Diop, Coco Jones, Romy Woods

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

What is the movie about? :: Ray Mathews (Prithviraj Sukumaran) is a blind musician who hopes that he will be known among the great pianists of the world. It is when he crosses the road and gets hit by Anna’s (Raashi Khanna) scooter, that there is the beginning of a romantic relationship between the two – then, it is revealed to the audience that he is not really blind, but is only acting as if he cannot see. Uday Kumar (Shankar Panicker) who was one of the big superstars of an earlier time asks him to sing at his home for his wedding anniversary with his wife Simi (Mamta Mohandas). But when Ray reaches there, he finds out that Uday is lying there dead, and Dinesh (Unni Mukundan) is also there with Simi. He sees that the two are trying to get rid of the body and the clues, as they feel that he won’t know as he is blind. Soon, Uday’s body is found in the container terminal road, and a story is created about how he was murdered by his driver.

So, what happens with the events here? :: As Dinesh is the police officer investigating the case, Ray is not able to tell anything to the police, but his arrival at the police station creates suspicions for both Dinesh and Simi. Dinesh’s wife Swapna (Ananya Nair) feels that her husband can find the murderer with ease. Dinesh has further doubts about Ray’s eye sight after searching his place, but as him being a witness only helps them, they decide not to do anything. But it is then that Ray witness another murder that Simi commits, and she decides to visit him at his place. Then, she would realize that he is not really blind, and due to the same, she has to take better precautions. At the same time, Anna is worried that Ray hasn’t shown up for a long time. A worried Dinesh wants Ray dead, and a boy in the neighborhood has proof that Ray is not really blind. All these lead to a sequence of events which means that life won’t be the same again for the people involved.

The defence of Bhramam :: Bhramam, even though not an original story, is executed really well. The strength of the cast is one advantage that this film can be proud about. The recreation of the tale in this particular setting is very good – the choice of Cochin and its surroundings, especially Fort Cochin makes it a better visual treat than one would expect. There have been similar visual splendour before, but not in a way that it suits the whole thing so well. From reading about the original film, there seems to be some differences here, but nothing that someone who hasn’t watched the Hindi version can confirm. As it stands, the film does rise above the expectations which the trailer had created, especially with the black humour and the twists that it provides. There is always something different that we can expect with Bhramam, as it moves forward, as it never hesitates to move away from the usual and the predictable.

The claws of flaw :: There can be comparisons between Bhramam and the original version which was in Hindi, and we know that original can often have the advantage, but as I have not watch that one, it won’t be my job to do. There are surely some moments in this film which could have been better, and the beginning moments could have had an extension, as they were indeed cute. Some more changes could have also been added to make this not that exact an adaptation. It could have managed to get more out of the last moments too, as scope was always there. The social commentary could have also been stronger, even though the presence is felt on some occasions. Some occasions could have also had better clarity, and a few scenes could also take better strength. As a film on a musician and a pianist, this could have also had more songs to add to the quality.

Performers of the soul :: After Cold Case and Kuruthi, Prithviraj Sukumaran has another release on Amazon Prime Video, the only OTT platform, where he had fresh releases. In comparison with the other roles in these movies, this does take a fine deviation for him, and this is further away from what one would expect from the trailer. The black comedy factor does work well for him. Unni Mukundan has had a certain amount of break time after the release of Mamangam much earlier. In the role of a police officer, he makes a fine comeback, even though this role doesn’t demand that much. Shankar Panicker has a small role, as he plays a superstar of the past himself with ease. At the same time, Jagadish comes up with a role which we don’t usually see him doing, and supporting him are Sminu Sijo and Aneesh Gopal, who have some fine contributions to provide here – the three are basically the unexpected turning point providers in the film.

Further performers of the soul :: Mamta Mohandas had her voice in Sunny, after having her full works in Forensic, Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel, 9 and the quick appearance of Johny Johny Yes Appa. She is back here, playing the main role, and she has done the same in a believable manner, leaving not much to the doubts. It is always good to have her back, and it doesn’t matter how many times we miss her due to her health related reasons. Raashi Khanna has her second Malayalam film here after Villain. This is a more notable role as we look at it, and she holds on to the cuteness factor from the beginning stages, even though she has to make way for Mamta later, only to have something to add in the final stages of the film. Shine Tom Chacko also makes an appearance in a cameo, but it is a role which defines many things in the film. Nandhana Varma plays the role of the daughter of the superstar, and that also is a notable one. Valsala Menon plays a neighbour of importance too.

How it finishes :: Bhramam is the remake of the much appreciated Hindi movie, Andhadhun – basically one of the many remakes as the same film is remade in different languages. Those who have watched that critically acclaimed movie, can know the quality of this version better for sure. When we consider this film as a stand-alone work, it is also a very well done work. After all, keeping up the quality is often difficult with remakes, unless there is something like a Drishyam which can come in many languages, and can even come up with the right sequel. For now, we can be sure that Bhramam which is taken out of Andhadhun works really well in this form too, and if there was ever any doubt about that, the same was not needed. We cannot blame ourselves about the same though, as doubting is in our blood, and trusting people to make things better is never really that easy.

Release date: 7th October 2021 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 152 minutes
Directed by: Ravi K Chandran
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Raashi Khanna, Unni Mukundan, Mamta Mohandas, Shankar Panicker, Ananya Nair, Sminu Sijo, Sudheer Karamana, Aneesh Gopal, Valsala Menon, Nandhana Varma, Jagadish, Rajesh Raj, Master Avyukth Menon, Shine Tom Chacko (cameo)