What is a 'normal' family?

 Kumbalangi Nights (Malayalam, 2019)

For the longest time, the idea of a family unit, at least amongst the average middle-class family is that it would comprise a father who would predominantly contribute towards the material needs of the family. A mother would always seem to play second fiddle to the patriarchy but would be a tresure trove of love and affection in abundance. She would oversee the everyday running of the household. On the surface, the mother, the wife, seem to live under the shadow of her husband, dancing to his puppet-strings. In reality, however, she has her own ways of controlling the narratives in her own passive-aggressive way. 

In modern times, family dynamics have evolved. Not only have the extended family concept where relatives live under the same roof is getting rarer, one has to put up with single parents and same-gender parents. The notion of a male-domination in households is viewed upon as male toxicity. 

This movie compares two families, one consisting of four sons growing up all in their own ways, rudderless, with neither a father nor a mother. These boys are actually adults, just doing their own things, without any ideas of their future or working towards any purpose in life. They live day to day drinking and earning only enough to sustain their simple lives. Things change when a woman enters their respective lives. A sense of order seems to trickle in. 

This is compared to another traditional family with a mother, sister, and a wife only to be led by a patriarchal figure who exudes masculine toxicity. There is order. Food is always there. The female figures ensure cleanliness is maintained. The ugly side of this family surfaces when the sister falls head over heels in love with one of the brothers from the other family. He is considered too wayward and unworthy of her and her family.

The rest of the story is about how resolution comes in the form of families dousing the rage of an obviously deranged toxic head of the girl's family. The film tends to illustrate that the traditional family is terrible. Responsibilities must be shared by all members of the family, and no one person should dominate over the other.

The cinematography is awe-inspiring here. The setting of a riverside, boats, lush tropical greenery and simple way of living helps viewers to bury themselves temporarily in a tropical paradise, away from the hassle and bustle of their busy urban modern live. Even life in Eden has its problems that need to be fixed.  

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