A grim look at life and death...

Ee.Ma.Yau (Malayalam: ഈ.മ.യൗ, R.I.P.; 2018)

Director: Lijo Jose Pellisery.

Parents always think that children are dumb; that there are unaware of the 'adult' kind of stuff that happens around them. Our parents thought so too. Sometimes, they would talk in codes and other times they would say in our absence. We were not living in a mansion for the void to absorb all the vibrations of their speeches; hence, we pretty much heard everything.

During one of these instances, we heard of the death of a respected man in the community. He was a pleasant Tamil school teacher who was generous with his smile and was often consulted to aid in dealings with the local authority. Naturally, the community was shocked one day when news spread of his suicide. He had apparently decided to jump off the balcony of his 13th floor flat.

Everyone was there at his funeral. Some came to show their last respect, others probably came to catch a glimpse of how a mangled body of a jumper would look like. The flat dwellers had an awkward moment of amazement and amusement when from nowhere, a lady barged in at the heights of the funeral ritual, thumping her chest and wailing, claiming to be the deceased second wife. I guess the mourners had more than what they had bargained for. In their entertainment deprived day to day living, this incident was a talking point for the next few weeks. Along the way, housewives started adding more masala about the dearly departed and his double life.

This movie reminded me so much of the eavesdropping of the conversation between my mother and our busybody neighbour. It was beyond my control - our living space was small.

I am starting to like this director, Lijo Jose Pellisary. Making films with plenty of commotion while telling a simple story must be striking a chord with many Indians. His movies are even reviewed by Westerners too - maybe they are just there for the Indians to hit the 'Like' button to monetise their Youtube channel.

The story takes place by the sea amongst a close-knitted fishing community. Everyone in the village is Christian. Maybe that is what the Hindus are complaining. Most fishermen and their families have all been converted by the evangelist. The de facto leader of the village is a priest. Basically, he pretty much runs the whole show. The police listen to him. The village doctor takes his advice, and the priest decides who can be buried in the village cemetery.

An elderly man, a retired mason, Vavachan, returns home with a live duck to an angry wife. The wife is crossed with him for disappearing without a trace for some time. He has an adult son who has two daughters. The wife cooks the duck while he chit-chats with his son, Essy and enjoys drinks together. As the son answers a call, Vavachan collapses and dies from an apparent cardiac event. A commotion starts as the neighbour go scurrying to arrange for his funeral. The pastor is summoned. Somewhere along the way, somebody mentions foul play in Vavachan's death. The pastor, who enjoys crime novels, is implanted with the idea. The doctor and police are summoned, but both seem to drag their feet as it is the dead of night.

In the meantime, unbeknownst to the family, Vavachan's second wife and her children appear. They scream murder and demand justice. Essy gets angry with the pastor for even suggesting unnatural death. He slaps the Vicar, who then denies Vavachan a burial space. An amok Essy digs a grave right in front of his house to bury his father. End.

I get a sense that the storyteller has a bone to pick with the clergy. Portraying the Vicar as a grumpy, pompous and egoistic man, he does not display an image of piety. It is also suggested that that the church may be the playmaker in many societal decisions. People generally conforms to the rules set by the clergy to appease everyone. They think peaceful living with fellow kind protects each other's interest. It appears now that the set of rules set out for the people are more inhibitive and meant only to serve a select few. 

They say that Man is a social animal who needs to be in the company of others. From the time of the cavemen, we moved in groups to look out for one another. We found strength in numbers. Perhaps in modern times, we find annoyance in crowds. Life has become too comfortable that people try to create problems when there are none. Maybe we are moving into an era where every man is an island by himself. He may find peace in solitude.

(P.S. Ee. Ma. Yau. is a contraction for Eesho Mariyam Yauseppu or Jesus Mary Joseph. It is often used as an exclamation, much like OMG.)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.