uncertainty – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: It is a small world, isn’t it? We are now watching a French movie.

Vampire Bat: We have watched and reviewed movies of thirty-one languages.

Vampire Owl: Yes, the last language to be added being Filipino.

Vampire Bat: Those were also the movies which required our attention.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we should actually go for more Filipino movies.

Vampire Bat: Here, the French movies are actually among the biggest categories of foreign language films to be reviewed.

Vampire Owl: Yes, after Korean and Spanish, and just more than Russian.

Vampire Bat: I believe that these would make more than half of the foreign movie collection here.

Vampire Owl: I have seen that the most read foreign movie review here is still of an Italian one.

Vampire Bat: Yes, the one named Don’t Kill Me with fine flesh-eating zombies reminding us of those undead beyond the border.

[Gets an onion vada and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: A famous marine researcher who is worried about climate migration, Sophia (Bérénice Bejo) and her team have been studying the shark species and the changes that come across them while also checking the garbage which has been spread around as a patch four times the size of France. The focus is near the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and search narrows down on Lilith, a shortfin mako shark which was tagged by them some time ago. They end up seeing similar female sharks hunting together as a pack, which feels quite unusual. They find the shark named Lilith, but also finds out that it has grown in size and is now double the creature it used to be, and makes Sophia wonder what has changed in the oceanic environment. As it des not seem to be aggressive, the team tries to take a sample, only to find it killing her husband and other divers. Sophia jumps into the ocean to hunt it down, but becomes entangled in a net and is dragged into the depths of the ocean, and even though she could break free and come up, there are injuries sustained due to severe alternation of pressure underneath.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Three years later, Sophia is still scarred by that incident for which she blames her own calculations, and works in an aquarium in Paris, explaining to the visitors about the oceans of the world and the marine life that inhabits it. She comes across Mika (Léa Léviant), and environmentalist who is looking forward to saving marine life which has been hunted vigorously by greedy humans, and also has a group that tries to do the same all around the globe. She tells her that the tracker which was set on Lilith is still active, and that the shark has travelled all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the River Seine of Paris. As it is not a freshwater creature, she feels that the shark might end up dying underneath the city if it is not found and diverted to the ocean. The police officer Adil (Nassim Lyes) who had found shark bites on a man found dead in the river, and hopes that Sophia can help him to kill it, but just like any other environmental and animal lover who do gives least value to human life, Mika switches off the tracker on the shark, leaving any human near the river prone to death.

And what more is going to happen with the shark right there in the river? :: Sophia knows how devastating the shark can be, and is reminded of her dead husband. Mika remains a third-rate animal lover who does not care for human lives, and stands by her idea that sharks do not attack without a valid reason, but Sophia knows better. Mika is still too good in making emotional pleas to save the shark as if she really means it. But for some reason, she is infatuated with just one shark and not bothered about anything else. She wonders how dare they try to attack that shark and not vice versa. She feels like a student who skips classes regularly for some environmental indoctrination as she is beyond logic. Her friend Ben (Nagisa Morimoto) who realizes that Mika is an environmental extremist who cannot be reasoned with, decides to meet Sophia and tell her that the shark even has underground sewage access. At the same time, Sophia and Adil request the Mayor of Paris to postpone the upcoming triathlon which would invite a large number of athletes to the area. The mayor refuses as billions of euros have already been spent on the event, and it is necessary for a build-up to Olympics. Now, one wonders what can happen next and who all will die.

The defence of Under Paris :: The movie manages to be a thrilling journey with a shark under water and people not realizing its danger. The most satisfying moment of the movie is the death of the one activist who brought all these upon humans and other living beings by unleashing an apex monster adaptation of the original shark. Even though human extinction is not that bad a thing for nature conservation, this one was a nature terrorist, and seems to be taken right out some people whom we regularly find on the media. The character shows the activist who lives without doing any other job, and seems to be interested in being in the spotlight and show face in the videos all the time. This one is surely not like the dedicated people working for environment, not looking for reels and selfies. The fear element is always present in the waters, and you keep wondering who is going to get the worst of the shark attacks. The shark attacks are all effective, and the final moments take the terror to the next level. In the end, we see that there is no hope left at all, unless there is that powerful a sequel which changes everything like a fantasy dream of wonderland. Bérénice Bejo and Nassim Lyes make a good team at the same time.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have focused more on the shark rather than those activists, with more movements within the shots of the city to induce further fear. Due to the lack of any thinking people among those who are looking for conservation, a good message is lost. Just feeling that others are responsible for stealing dreams of the younger generation and doing some nonsense in the name of saving nature and oceans would never even come close to being somewhat sane. There could have been more chilling visuals of the shark hunting, and also more action in the ocean instead of just switching so quickly. The catacombs and sewers could have a scarier world in store for us. Paris could have also had more stylish shots to support its glamour, after all, everyone wishes to visit the city one day. The movie has been rather less known in this part of the world, and that is a disappointment because there is more appreciation to come for tales of shark horror with Netflix widely used.

How it finishes :: Among the European movies featuring sharks as the main nemesis, this one surely has maintained a space for itself. It will surely have a sequel, as the ending seems to suggest that the sharks have spread all over the world with oceans connecting to the rivers and lakes, and with the ability to live in saltwater as well as freshwater. The second part is surely going to be grand, like an alien invasion A Quiet Place or 10 Cloverfield Lane, with people having less areas to find shelter, as flooding could also follow. Well, we know how the Resident Evil films defined survival, and let us see how far this franchise can go. This first movie sets the tone nicely, and we know that there is much more to come. In the movie, we find that things go much similar to how real-life situation would go, with all these activists and the authority acting as if they know everything, until the world around them collapses due their acts of foolishness, and it is their own people that suffer, even though they would not live long enough to witness the same. This could indeed be the revival of the shark-themed movies, even though it might not become as good as the first Deep Blue Sea, which extended the Jaws mode really well and 47 Meters Down up to an extent.

Release date: 5th June 2024 (Netflix)
Running time: 101 minutes
Directed by: Xavier Gens
Starring: Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant

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

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

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: Is this movie about yesterdays?

Vampire Bat: From the title, it seems that yesterdays are important.

Vampire Owl: Our yesterdays are pretty much far away.

Vampire Bat: The vampire yesterdays have always been centuries away.

Vampire Owl: Not all centuries are the same.

Vampire Bat: Yes, but they are all short for us.

Vampire Owl: Not just for us, but for all immortals.

Vampire Bat: Depends on how we will take the immortality.

Vampire Owl: Does this movie fit into our immortal calendar?

Vampire Bat: It is something which is yet to be seen.

[Gets a green apple cake and three cups of chocolate tea].

What is the movie about? :: Adhi (Asif Ali) is a superstar who is now going through a struggling phase as an actor. His movies haven’t been getting the success that they used to have, and he no longer remains the crowd-puller despite having so many fans and fan clubs. Due to his lavish lifestyle, he also has a lot of debts to be paid. Due to the same reason, he is forced to act in many advertisements, most of them which he doesn’t like at all. He is in love with Aishu (Reba Monica John), whose family doesn’t approve of such a relationship, as Adhi does have other affairs too – he is almost living together with a married actress named Karthika (Athulya Chandra), and he successfully keeps that a secret. Jomi (Rony David) handles things for him as the efficient manager, but the debts seem to get worse, as money lenders even reach his home and take away his cars. Both Aishu and Karthika are infatuated with him, and is not ready to leave him at any cost. Karthika knows that she is not the only one for him, but finds comfort with him in the absence of her husband who never bothers to call her or come home.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: At the same time, a stranger who identifies himself as Sharath (Antony Varghese) is following him. He seems to collect information about him through cameras and hidden voice recorders. Aadhi who one day comes to know that Karthika is carrying his child, tries to get there as soon as possible, and finds a lady who calls herself Shaani (Nimisha Sajayan), and she offers him a lift. She asks him to come to her home and see her husband once, and adds that she is ready to give him the car so that he can go wherever he wants to. Finding this to be a comfortable option, he gets to her apartment, only to find himself locked inside one of the rooms. It is later revealed that Sharath and Shaani has other plans for him. It seems to be motivated by money in the beginning, but there seems to be something different about these two. Yet, the need to save a house from being taken away by the bank seems to be a priority. But they don’t seem to know that Adhi has no money. How can any of them get what they want at this stage?

The defence of Innale Vare :: The movie doesn’t exaggerate things, and seems to go on without adding the unnecessary things including those highly emotional and romantic songs which would have been there for the taking. The tension and anxiety are maintained most of the time, and there are enough twists to keep things going around here. There is a certain amount of mystery about a lot of things around here, and the same is solved in the end, as different sides seem to come together. The idea about how technology can be used to make a person disappear by impersonating him or her will also keep us interested – Cold Case had also dealt with some part of the same, and this one takes it to another level. The messages from this type of movies might to be more careful about what we choose to do, no matter which side we are on, for even the most social ones can suffer – it is also easy to misunderstand someone. Yet, the movie’s main message seems to be that if we try to know people, everyone is good, as it seemed to be in most of the movies of the same director that came much earlier.

The claws of flaw :: The movie surely had a lot to do with its premise, and it doesn’t manage to come up with enough on most occasions. It seems to have struggled hard to make it a feel-good movie, wandering a long way away from where it seemed to be heading in the earlier stages. For an effective thriller, this one needed to keep a certain amount of its darkness as an interesting element which contributes throughout its run. There is almost no intensity with this thriller, and the characters seem to be not motivated enough to do most of the things – they seem to let things go on without trying hard. It is also too long with its content which is not strong enough to withstand time. The final twist and ending could have used some polishing, even if the purpose was to leave with a happy finish. There are too many repetitions around here too, and predictability also has a role to play. Some of the moments are shown just for the sake of being there, and in the process, it elongates the movie to a length that would have been stronger for more content.

The performers of the soul :: Asif Ali who finally has his first direct OTT release, does a good job, as things happen around his character. It is not that much of a big or challenging role though. It is good to see Antony Varghese in a role with a difference, which he seems to find okay. Nimisha Sajayan disappoints for most part of the movie though, in a work which seems to be unnatural. Even for the audience, she seems to be overacting in front of the police in scenes, but the cops within the film don’t seem to find it so – there is also that certain expression she seems to maintain, which doesn’t suit here, as much as in her earlier movies. Rony David is really good in another supporting role, and Irshad does the police job well again. Reba Monica John’s role is unfortunately a little bit too small, but she proves to be suitable in that one. Athulya Chandra does job well, as she seems to reflect the character in concern really well. Nandu is there in a small role, and so are a number of performers who make the smaller contributions.

How it finishes :: The fact that the director switches from feel-good movies like Sunday Holiday, Vijay Superum Pournamiyum and Mohan Kumar Fans, the effect seems to be lesser than what the genre deserved. His first movie and the only thriller, Bicycle Thieves was one of the worst thrillers which graced Malayalam movie industry with a twist which was as dumb as it could get. This one is surely much better than that, but one has to wonder about the purpose of making feel-good thrillers – most of the time, such combinations form a strange paradox which is not acceptable. When actors play actors, there seems to be something lacking too, and the same was seen in movies like Driving Licence too. But the makers do manage to bring things together as the movie nears the end, and this seems to be the kind of thriller which would also make the family audience happy, as such light thrillers are not easy to find. Well, if this kind of thrills happen in real life, there would be terror guaranteed, but not that much in this case.

Release date: 8th June 2022 (Sony LIV)
Running time: 136 minutes
Directed by: Jis Joy
Starring: Antony Varghese, Asif Ali, Nimisha Sajayan, Reba Monica John, Rony David, Nandu, Irshad, Athulya Chandra, Anand Bal, Siddique Ismail