I'm a stranger to Indian cinema, other than being familiar with the usual clichés of Bollywood-style song, dance and drama.
I read some reviews here, recommending this movie, and calling it a genuine political thriller. Well, it is. Sort of.
It's hard to describe what I feel is wrong with the movie. The plot is believable, and you want to see more. Not being intimately familiar with the horrible history of the Tamils, and having read only scattered articles here and there, I did not have any way to determine whether the movie was true to facts or not, and for this I apologize.
So, what's wrong? Well, it feels like there is an entire plot here. There is. But it feels like someone sat down, wrote a list of "what makes western political thrillers good", came up with 10-12 key scenes, and made those. Without really bothering too much with tying them together. It feels not so much rushed as uncohesive. And that's a shame, because ..
The visuals are nothing short of stunning. Excellent camera-work, glorious colors, scenery, and almost worth watching for this alone.
But ultimately, for me, the story is where the substance is. And in this one - perhaps this is due to me being unfamiliar with Indian cinema - it just feels cut to pieces and abrupt. Key events just "happen" from one scene to the next, and if you want to keep up with who's who, and who's pulling what strings, don't blink for a second.
Given that I don't know the material intimately, like I would with say a WWII movie, or a typical cold-war spy movie, and the actors were all unfamiliar to me, this movie was hard to follow. Perhaps for a more local audience, it would be infinitely more enjoyable. I do hope so, because it is a gorgeous movie, and I desperately wanted to like it.
I read some reviews here, recommending this movie, and calling it a genuine political thriller. Well, it is. Sort of.
It's hard to describe what I feel is wrong with the movie. The plot is believable, and you want to see more. Not being intimately familiar with the horrible history of the Tamils, and having read only scattered articles here and there, I did not have any way to determine whether the movie was true to facts or not, and for this I apologize.
So, what's wrong? Well, it feels like there is an entire plot here. There is. But it feels like someone sat down, wrote a list of "what makes western political thrillers good", came up with 10-12 key scenes, and made those. Without really bothering too much with tying them together. It feels not so much rushed as uncohesive. And that's a shame, because ..
The visuals are nothing short of stunning. Excellent camera-work, glorious colors, scenery, and almost worth watching for this alone.
But ultimately, for me, the story is where the substance is. And in this one - perhaps this is due to me being unfamiliar with Indian cinema - it just feels cut to pieces and abrupt. Key events just "happen" from one scene to the next, and if you want to keep up with who's who, and who's pulling what strings, don't blink for a second.
Given that I don't know the material intimately, like I would with say a WWII movie, or a typical cold-war spy movie, and the actors were all unfamiliar to me, this movie was hard to follow. Perhaps for a more local audience, it would be infinitely more enjoyable. I do hope so, because it is a gorgeous movie, and I desperately wanted to like it.