A menless future?

Nocturnal Animals 2016
Director: Tom Ford

On the one hand, people talk about masculine toxicity, while on the other, they want men to exert their muscular prowess to protect them. When the situation warrants, they want a man to 'act like a man'. When they want to be left alone, they say, 'Don't gaslight me!'

This quite compelling movie has the same intensity as 'Cape Fear' (both Robert Mitchum and Robert DeNiro versions). It tells the story of a couple and their teenage daughter who are carjacked while travelling through the Texan countryside. The man is taken for a joyride while the wife and daughter are raped and killed. All through the movie, the man is mocked by the young punks hoodlums who carjacked the vehicle for not being manly enough to give them a good fight to protect his family.

The film's story is mainly about a novel draft written by an ex-husband for the ex-wife to read. The movie rolls as she reads through the draft and reminisces about their time together. During their stay together, the persistent issue that crept up was that the husband was not assertive and ambitious enough. Her push for him to sit and write his first novel did not augur well.

As the story progresses, a year later, the man, together with the investigating police officer, returns to the crime scene. As the evidence was weak to arrest the criminals, they took the law into their own hands. The man feels satisfied that he became man enough to kill his family's killers.

Amami spiny rat with no Y chromosome

As if by synchronicity, I soon heard of a science report about the possibility of the Y chromosome going extinct after watching this movie. The X and Y chromosomes initially started being about the same size. Over the years, Nature found many of the genes of the Y-chromosome superfluous and unnecessary. About 1,600 genes disappeared in about 166 million years. We now have 55-56 genes on the Y chromosome, but only 27 are needed to make a man a man. At a rate of loss of 10 genes in a million years, the Y chromosome may disappear in 11 million years. Are we looking at a manless future?

Scientists discovered that a Japanese rat species, the spiny rat, had no Y chromosome. Other chromosomes, however, evolved to ensure the presence of a male-determining gene to maintain the male-female distribution.

As with the complaint that modern men are being domesticated to the extent that the Y chromosome may risk being a vestigial one, fearing the brink of extinction, fear not. Their bodily hairs may reduce, and the skin may be unblemished, but the human species may not have to resort to parthenogenesis or self-pollination to procreate.

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A rescue mission that almost never happened!

Manjummel Boys (Malayalam/ Tamil; 2024)

Director: Chidambaram

I was intrigued by this movie after reading two articles. The first detailed a legal dispute between Ilaiyaraaja's side and the producer. The dispute arose when the producer used Ilaiyaraaja's song composition as a background without obtaining permission. This incident added an exciting layer to the movie's production. The second article discussed the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary's directive to the Kodaikanal Police to investigate police brutality against complainants, which also played a role in the movie's plot.

This is a gripping tale of a rescue mission that took place in 2006. A group of young men from Majummel, Kochi, embarked on a trip to Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, a popular tourist destination. While exploring, the men made a fateful decision to venture into a restricted area. Tragically, one of them fell into a seemingly bottomless pit. The story unfolds as the remaining men, faced with a group of apathetic officials who had essentially given up on their friend, embark on a daring mission to rescue him. 

This survival thriller is based on actual events. The cave the young men entered has a long and checked history. It was first described in 1821 by a British officer who christened it 'Devil Kitchen'. It caught people's attention when it was featured in 1991 Kamalhaasan's hit movie, 'Guna'. Since Guna, a mental patient in the film, used this cave as his hideout, it came to be referred to as 'Guna's Cave'. A catchy song from the movie, 'Kanmani Anbodan,' is used liberally in this movie and has become a bone of contention with Illayaraaja's camp.

As many as 16 victims have plunged into the pit in Guna's Cave, but none have been rescued. Even a Central Minister's relative had fallen into this hole. All the available resources could not rescue or not so much excavate his remains.

Roots of Guna Caves ©Shutterstock 

So, when the Majummel Boys ran to the Kodaikanal Police for help, the police were not too enthusiastic in carrying out rescue missions, looking at the cave's track record. In fact, they were beaten up, accusing them of trying to cover up a murder. The fire and forest departments were not helpful either. No officials dared to go in hoisted on ropes with so many urban legends floating around. Long story short, the boys and the local people hawked on the police and rescue teams. One of the Manjummel Boys, Kuttan (Suji David), volunteered to go in. After many tense moments, the victim (Subhash) was found alive and rescued. Kuttan went on to receive a State award for bravery. Subhash remains the only person rescued after plunging into the hole in Guna Caves.

This movie is a visual treat, with stunning cinematography that captures the beauty and danger of the cave. The camera work effectively conveys the tension and fear experienced by the characters, adding to the overall suspense of the film.

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When you find yourself in times of trouble… Let it be?

Parking (Tamil, 2023)

Written & Directed: Ramkumar Balakrishnan

You lead your life thinking that you are doing it all right. You assume that your austere way of living is the way to go to combat against future eventualities. You follow the way you think is the best way to salvation. You secure a safe space for you to do your things. Then, somebody pops in and bursts your bubble. This creates dissonance. All your lifetime understandings of things come crumbling down. Your whole existence is a question mark. How would you respond?

Do you accept that there is more than one way of doing things and get alternatives? Are you justified to stand your ground to nurse your bruised ego? Do you make the other understand your point of view? Or just let it be?

The same thing happened to Ilamparuthi, a near-retirement middle-level government official. A new tenant moved into the duplex he is co-renting. The new tenant is a young IT professional, Eshwar, with his pregnant wife. Things were cordial between the families as Ilamparuthi and his wife and young adult daughter treated them like family. Ilamparuthi notices that the young couple are quite spendthrift with their expenditure. While he tries to save as much as he can for rainy days, the younger generation generally does not save. Problems brewed when Eshwar decided to buy a car. The porch space is a wee bit too tight for Eshwar’s car and Ilamparuthi’s motorbike.

M S Bhaskar

It started with the bike grazing the car. A tiff, an exchange of harsh words, and before both realised it, it snowballed to something of a mammoth scale.

The thrifty Ilamparuthi buys a car with cash to compete for a parking spot on the duplex porch. All hell breaks loose as common decency, respect and humanity are clouded by bulging ego.

A well-made drama with excellent acting and a nice pace to build the suspense. Kudos to MS Bhaskar, as the stingy, domineering and frustrated middle-aged civil servant who single-handedly carried the weight of the film. The supporting actors, too, did a decent job of carrying on. Just overlook certain boo-boos (or Easter eggs) that are pretty glaring to police procedural or murder mystery enthusiasts; they nicely put a poetic end to the story.

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Brutally funny?

Bhama Kalabam (Telegu, The Dance of Fate; 2022) 
Written and Directed by: Abimanyu 

I learned two things from this movie. 

Increasingly, crime is a funny business. This film falls under the genre of comedic crime thriller. The Indian cinemas have graduated from fake fighting with comedians pouncing on villains with their most hilarious bumbling moves. Now, it involves quirky investigators or their blundering assistants. Violence is a necessary mainstay, as, after all, it is a crime drama. So, nitty gritty grizzly details of the killing, striking the jugular and bundling a dead body into a suitcase are accepted as the most natural thing to do. Get a 13+ rating, and everything is kosher. Do not question dragging dead weight around with ease and the ability to keep a deadpan face after committing a heinous crime. If you pass all that, you should, as it is a comedy, remember, then you will enjoy this movie. 

Filmed during the pandemic, the moviemakers managed to pull through by confining the filming area within a housing colony and the street surrounding it. The effects of movement restriction are hardly noticeable. Despite a few flaws here and there, the film is enjoyable overall. 

The other thing I learnt from this movie is about Febergé Eggs. Not many people realise that the Russian Empire has its own stories of gory and glory. With ferocious leaders like Ivan the Terrible, Catherine the Great (who was terrible), Peter III and Nicholas II, they have their skirmishes with the Tartars, indulgences and opulence. In the late 19th century, at the heights of their Empire, only rivalled by the British, royal jewellers made bejewelled Easter eggs for the Czars to amuse their spouses. 

About 69 such eggs were made around St Petersburg, and 52 surviving eggs are exhibited in museums worldwide. It has come to signify the heights of opulence and is worth a fortune. 

In this film, one such egg, on display in a museum in Calcutta, is stolen. While admiring the loot, the blooming thieves dropped the egg off their vehicle. The egg lands right smack into a lorry transporting thousands of chicken eggs. The truck heads to a warehouse. 

Their leader is livid. 

Anupama, a YouTuber, a wife and a mum, has too much time on her hands. Between caring for her family, she manages to find time to be a busybody to mind the businesses of her neighbours. 

After exposing one of the neighbour's husband's affairs, she gets into trouble with the residents' committee. Instead of thanking Anupama, the wife of the fornicator, sides with him when he fakes a heart attack. Anupama gets a warning to mind her own business. 

Curiosity got the better of her when she thought she saw another resident harming his wife. When Anupama goes to investigate, she faces the thief who lost the Feberge egg. He had tracked the egg to that unit. In a scuffle, Anupama kills the intruder. That starts the cat-and-mouse affair of hiding the body, the discovery of CCTV footage, the police, the leader of the thieves and the rush to find the elusive Fabergé Egg. Amongst all these, in the background, is an aloof pastor who has heard in his childhood of a particular egg handed to believers by Mother Mary at the time of Cruxification of the promise that Jesus will arise from death. 

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A Christmas thriller

The Apology (2022)
Director: Allison Locke

Increasingly I realise that life is more complex. A crime is not always pre-meditated. Sometimes things happen at the moment out of uncontrolled emotions. Sometimes it is just a freak accident, a twist of fate. No one is going to believe the confession of an aggrieved man. What meets him instead is the full might of the law. The slow grind of the law, oiled by people with a vested interest, will throw the whole weight of the book at him to ensure maximum incarceration, remorse or not.

The humiliation and the inconveniences that come with getting caught with a crime, or even confessing to one, is way too much to handle for the perpetrator and all those intimately linked to him. Hence, it is necessary to get scot-free from it all costs.

Even when the case appears in the courts finally, there is no guarantee that Lady Justice is blind to suggestions and appeasement. Justice is not meted, but rather there is more emphasis on technicality and chains of events.  

What is the alternative to all these? A world where might determines right may not be everybody's idea of meting justice. Street justice leads to pandemonium.

This psychological thriller tells of a grief counsellor, Darlene, who lost her daughter some 20 years previously. Christmas is in the air. Her estranged brother-in-law, her sister's ex-husband and her old flame, Jack, enter unexpectedly. He tries to reignite their romance and his relationship with his ex-wife. As the evening progresses, Darlene realises that he is up to something no good. It turns out to be horrendous as he confesses to killing Darlene's 16-year-old daughter 19 years ago. It becomes a cat-and-mouse situation as Darlene and Jack try to outsmart each other the bring the other down. Good suspense.

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Just when we think it was safe to be amongst our kind!

The Handmaiden (Korean, 2016)
Director: Park Chan-wook

There was a time that it was a given that a lady would feel comfortable in the presence of another lady when she is facing a potentially embarrassing situation. A. male medical practitioner would be required by law when he is examining a female patient. Lady doctors are assumed not to assert their powers over their male patients. 

The ladies washroom was considered a safe space, and they thought they would be protected. When faced with untoward incidents, especially with a member of the opposite sex, ladies would find solace there. After watching numerous Hollywood high school movies, we know how mean girls can be. If they thought that powdering her nose in the company of those of their kind would ensure non-passage of judging looks on her anatomy, I have news for them. Females are their greatest critics.

The members of the fairer sex think they find security in the company of their kind by travelling in ladies-only coaches and parking their vehicles in pink car parks designated for ladies. It is a defeatist idea of women's empowerment. On one end, feminists scream for recognition and respect. On the other, they plead for protection and padding of their falls. In my books, respect is gained through actions, not legislation or helicoptering.

We forget that Korean movies had a healthy life long before the Academy Awards introduced 'Parasite' to the world. And Koreans make more than lovey-dovey soap operas about lost love. Many of their stories are pretty different, and they dare to venture into territories considered taboo by most Asians.

'Handmaiden' is based on the 2002 novel 'Fingersmith' by Welsh writer Sarah Waters. It was set during the Victorian era. This movie's setting is altered to a time when Japan occupied Korea following the Russo-Japanese War. A pair of fraudsters,  Koreans from the lowest rung of war-stricken Korea. They make an elaborate plan to swindle a Japanese heiress. A con man hires a lady pickpocket as a maid to the heiress. The idea is to marry the heiress, get her committed to a mental asylum and abscond with her money.

Things take a turn. The story of the three characters is told from three points of view and ends with a twist at the end. 

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Between doing evil and setting it straight!

Muran (2011)
Director: Rajan Madhav

Accidents happen suddenly and at random. We are made to believe that things occur for no rhyme or reason. In the churning of cosmic soup, the flapping of the butterfly wings may create a hurricane. Is it really? A perfect crime is committed when no trace of external interference with an act of nature results in a negative outcome. Nobody will blame anybody when a typhoon sweeps over a nation, as proving secret weather-changing experimentation via covert governmental projects is not easy!

This is a fascinating typical Tamil movie with a different storyline. Sadly, it is not an original offering, but its storyline is based on Alfred Hitchcock's 'Stranger on the Train.' (1951). The story has been modified to suit the local scenery and the turn of the tide of time. The strangers are not on a train but are hitchhiker-driver combo; the train is a car speeding on a highway from Bangalore to Chennai. 

Nanda is a musician. Upon his return from Bangalore, after a movie deal, his car breaks down. He manages to hitch a ride from Arjun, a weird character that he had seen the previous night drunk and about to jump off a balcony! Nanda takes the ride anyway.

Along the journey, Nanda and Arjun find commonalities. Nanda is in a loveless marriage, and Arjun is a wealthy tycoon's son wronged by his mean father. After a few friendship-bonding moments, Arjun proposes a mutually beneficial plan - each was to murder the other's misery... 

Nanda baulks at such a proposition and scoots off. He thinks it is all forgotten. Nanda's wife is increasingly irritating him and is overtly flirting with her working colleagues. Nanda himself feels like putting an end to her life when he feels the opportunity is ripe, but his inner consciousness stops him. Then Nanda receives a call from the police that his wife had been killed in a hit-and-run accident. Arjun had started his end of the bargain even without Nanda's consent. Then Arjun's cat and mouse game begins, trying to force Nanda to reciprocate.

It balances ending evil, doing the right thing and satisfying the sane conscious mind. Man, we have developed two contradictory assets over generations of mitosis and natural selection. We have gained the curse of a good memory and the often feuding of the reptilian mind and the policeman of our superego.

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Time and place for everything?

Decision to leave (Korean; 2022)
Director: Park Chan-wook

The ageing brain finds it difficult to learn new tricks. Hence, it compensates for its deficiencies by filling them with old remote thoughts. Whilst watching this Korean thriller noir, a conversation with an old friend, 20 years previously, resurfaced.

P was an ambitious young man when he was posted as a secondary school teacher in a remote part of the country. His rumbling young heart knew then that he was made for bigger things in life, but teaching a bunch of uninitiated young kids in the periphery was a start.

Being well versed in the Malay Language, he was quite a hit amongst the locals, particularly his young lady colleagues. These young lassies were all over him, eating out of his hand and at his beck and call. Bending over backwards to be in his company, there were unabashed invitations for intimacy.

Such good chemistry, sensual without being sexual

On further prodding by his nosey on more juicy details, P told them there was nothing more to say. Nothing happened. With a blank face, he said something to the effect of, "one should defecate where he eats!"

P went on to spend his free time preparing for his law degree. Soon enough, he resigned from his teaching stint and is now a flying legal eagle.

In every profession, situations may arise where one can obtain personal favours. He may be lured to use his positions to curry flavours to fulfil self-interests. For that reason, to be professional in a particular job would mean to put the emotional aspect into makings job-related decisions, but to decide with the head and not the heart. But then, when Adolf Eichmann made similar decisions, the world accused him of treating an act of evil as the banalest thing to do.

The protagonist of this Korean thriller noir, Hae-joon, probably did not have a friend like P to advise him on how to act professionally. Married but a weekend husband only as he is stationed as a police detective in another town, he is assigned to investigate a hiker who is found dead. During the course of his investigation, ruling out the hiker's sensual wife, Seo-rae, as a possible suspect, he is drawn closer to her. A Chinese immigrant, a caretaker of the elderly with a clear alibi of innocence, she is off the hook. But there seems more than meets the eye as Seo-rae is seen six months later with another husband who just happens to die soon after their meet!

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