IRUL (2021)
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| Critic - No. 204 |
Director: Naseef Yusuf Izuddin
Produced by: Anto Joseph Film Company, Plan J Studios
Casts: Fahadh Fazil, Soubin Shahir, Darshana Rajendran
Language: Malayalam
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Music: Seerag Saji
SYNOPSIS:
When a car breakdown forces a couple to seek shelter in a nearby home, conversations with the stranger inside soon suggest there's a killer among them.
REVIEW:
A nightmare-ridden mystery book writer, Alex (Soubin) brings his beautiful lawyer girlfriend, Archana (Darshana) for a weekend getaway without any phones to keep away from distractions. Their car halts due to a breakdown and they seek shelter in a mansion at a deserted place. A strange fellow in a satin nightgown (Fahadh Fazil) emerges from a large mansion. These few sentences already display (though tested) many good genre tropes to scare us. This thriller does engage us with its inciting incidents but just when the main plot kicks in, Irul is trapped in a whirlwind of confusions and dull moments that hinder its great cast to fully utilise such a promising premise.
Director Nazeef places the viewer in a very confused state, much like a mind space of Archana who is caught in the confusion of whom to trust between the two men who are trying to convince her that the other is a deadly serial killer. The main problem with the film is the pace and lack of chilling moments for such a dark thriller. The score is constantly cueing us to feel scared while the writing is dull as dishwater. For a film that had only three characters, the dialogues become repetitive and monotonous after a while. Even though the film runs for 90 minutes, it feels double the length due to the very slow pacing. The three great actors are giving it all but we are unable to buy their emotions due to weak character arcs with muddled motivations. We could understand the minimalistic treatment as it was shot during the pandemic but the intense moments and twists needed for such a genre are clearly missing.
On the bright side, Irul consists of good production design, sound mixing, and cinematography, making each frame look rich and sleek. Director Nazeef has also kept the mood and intensity intact in the first half with the help of the technical crew, giving the film an old-school horror feel. However, if only half of the efforts placed on the technical aspect were put in the writing, the film would have made a bigger impact.
VERDICT:
Despite a promising set-up and an excellent cast ensemble, Irul fails to keep us on the edge due to the slow pace and weak writing.
CELLULOID METER- 2.5/5:
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