Spoilers ahead…
Read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/article/oru-kidayin-karunai-manu-movie-review
What kind of narrative could one weave from the story of villagers heading to a faraway temple in order to sacrifice a goat? A road movie, certainly, with every stop introducing quirky characters, startling contrivances. Or perhaps even a thriller, given that someone dies along the way, necessitating a cover-up. Suresh Sangaiah’s impressive first feature, Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu (A Goat’s Mercy Petition), has a bit of the former, a bit of the latter, but it is, at heart, an unusual beast. Let’s just say this is what we might get if Bresson made an absurdist black comedy.
I refer, of course, to Au Hasard Balthazar, that non-judgmental donkey’s-eye-view of humanity’s failings. I wouldn’t go as far as to call Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu a remake (John Abraham’s Agraharathil Kazhudhai came much closer) — just that it shares a sensibility, and that it views human failings through the eyes of that goat. Quite literally. An early scene is shot through the goat’s point of view as it is led through the village, to the local butcher. On his table lies the head of another goat, the rest of it having been chopped up for food. We cut to this goat as it surveys the scene (and its eventual fate), but there’s no reaction. No fear. No sympathy for the slain brother (or sister). If goats could shrug, that’s what we’d get. It is what it is.
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2017 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
vishal yogin
June 4, 2017
This hasnt even been released in Bombay 😦
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pato
June 4, 2017
BR: Can you elaborate on what’s the loftier ambitions that the film pursued??
I saw the movie and i didn’t quite get the reason for title. I have no idea about bresson or absurdism but i was entertained as said by you in last line of your review.
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doctorhari
June 4, 2017
What a beautiful little film this was!
The sense of beingness of those people, of seeing village life unfold at its own pace rather than a cinema, all reminded me of old Bharathi raja films – the absurdist/black comedy undertone adding an additional quirky layer. Feel happy and proud about Kodambakkam.
About ‘cutting to the animal for a reaction shot, but with no reaction’ – This constant cutting to the animal struck me a bit differently. Rather than contrasting the stolid nature of the animal with the emotional volatility of humans, for me it felt like the director implying it was the goat’s prayer that was orchestrating it all. As if the goat was scheming all those incidents with the God Muniyaandi.
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brangan
June 4, 2017
By loftier, I just meant the bit with the goat and all, which needn’t have been there for the film to actually “work.” But that takes the film to a different place, structurally as well as tonally.
+++
On an unrelated note, I know not many people are going to watch this film, so I just thought I’d ask why. Some of you have legit reasons — it’s not playing where you live, you have to wait for a legal print online, etc. I’m more interested in those that live in places where this film is playing and yet cannot bring themselves to go watch it.
No judgement here — it’s a free world. Just curiosity 🙂
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pato
June 4, 2017
BR: What I wanted to convey was that I didn’t understand that goat bit. I read sudhir’s review also and he also isn’t quite sure about that part.Since you have made some points about that goat bit,Can you elaborate on the significance of that bit from your view point ??
Since Movie’s title conveys a specific theme,I was somehow trying to link the happenings in the film to that theme. But I didn’t find any direct reference to that theme or any theme. Maybe I missed out on something.
“You don’t need to know about Bresson or black comedy or absurdism, and you’ll still have a damn good time.”
Perfectly sums up my experience.
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Rad
June 5, 2017
No run in Bangalore ☹️
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Rad
June 5, 2017
For comparison, 8 thottakkal ran one show in two multiplexes. Both night shows. Was able to watch it.
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brangan
June 5, 2017
pato: Can you elaborate on the significance of that [goat] bit from your view point ?
But this whole review is about my reading of the goat (via the Bresson prism). Am not sure what else is there to explain.
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doctorhari
June 5, 2017
@Pato – The film opens with the goat seeing another beheaded goat. And after all those unforeseen events happen one after another, spoiling the ‘kidaa kari’ plan of those villagers, it ends with the goat being released. The director is implying that, like Aandavan kattalai, it was the ‘Animal’s kattalai’ (or its karunai manu, rather) that orchestrated the events.
It took me too a good ten minutes after watching this to put it all together in my head.
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Altman
June 5, 2017
“On an unrelated note, I know not many people are going to watch this film, so I just thought I’d ask why.”
One factor that makes someone really want to go see a movie is the posters. Most people don’t checkout trailers or promos, they see posters of new release while commuting and make up their minds on what to watch. If the movie has star casting, the maker’s would make sure that the stars are featured prominently. If that isn’t the case, they have to work hard to come up with something exciting. Designing a poster for a film is an art in itself. I guess many directors here don’t have a say in that matter. It’s the producers who has the final say. Consider the poster of this movie. The ones I saw has the heroine in a half saree, praying and the dhoti clad hero is awkwardly standing behind her. There was no goat irrespective of the title. This gave the impression that this is just another village love story. Hence, I thought I’d give it a miss.
Personally, say I can watch only one movie a week and I have to choose between this and Wonder Woman, I’d choose the latter. It has been promoted in a such a way that you are not a feminist if you miss Wonder Woman. Also, I can partake in countless online debates ranging from the effect a female superhero has on the perception of women on pop culture, how a women-only screening is regressive etc… Makes me feel like a global citizen or something. So yeah, go ahead, judge me.
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"Original" venkatesh)
June 6, 2017
Movies like these just dont get released where i am.
And i think there is some value to the point of “promoting” the movies. These are niche movies and must be marketed to niche audiences. Do a two-fer or release it as part of a double feature, get into a proper theatre in the right location etc.
I am actually willing to put money where my mouth is and to fund distribution of such a movie.
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nadnivara (@rnadnivara)
July 5, 2017
Spoiler..
@doctorhari, In the Rama Narayanan universe, the goat would have a flashback when it is released. “It would have, in slow motion, explicitly distracted the driver to commit the incident!”.
Tamil cinema has evolved much more now. So, it’s got to be this abstract! 🙂
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Ramchander Krishna (@ramctheatheist)
August 21, 2017
I wanted to comment on this thread only after watching Au Hasard Balthazar 🙂
Rangan, I’m sure you’ll agree that Bresson’s film is on a different plane altogether. The only similarity between the two films is the reaction shots of the goat and the donkey, which are intercut between human activities. I think the similarity ends there. The two films are trying to do completely different things. Au Hasard’s themes are about loss of innocence and human suffering, while Oru Kidayin is happy in using the goat to suggest that some naive people (the villagers) submit themselves as scapegoats to people with authority (the lawyer).
I don’t think Au Hasard Balthazar is a donkey’s-point-of-view film. The stories of Marie and Balthazar are told in parallel. The donkey is more actively involved in the plot, whereas in Oru Kidaiyin the goat is predominantly a bystander. The goat-point-of-view is specific to Oru Kidaiyin, and in my view, it makes Au Hasard Balthazar a much better film.
But I owe you a special thanks for mentioning Balthazar though. You’ve opened me to the world of Bresson! I’ve seen Pickpocket and plan to see many more!
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Gayathri
June 25, 2018
brangan: On an unrelated note, I know not many people are going to watch this film, so I just thought I’d ask why. Some of you have legit reasons — it’s not playing where you live, you have to wait for a legal print online, etc. I’m more interested in those that live in places where this film is playing and yet cannot bring themselves to go watch it.
No judgement here — it’s a free world. Just curiosity 🙂
I would love to watch such films. Mostly, before i heard about these type of movies it would be out of theatres. That is the main reason. I love cinema but the crap coming out in the name of cinemas made me not to follow it actively. so i am missing out few good films. Nonetheless, at some point in time, i would catch up with those movies and enjoy watching it in my plasma. I do feel guilty about downloading and watching it without paying. Honestly if anyway i could able to send them the ticket price i would really happy to do, if not for any loftier ideals at the least just to encourage those filmmakers.
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