This time, we have a “plot”, and characters who talk a lot. But the aesthetic is as rigorous as in the director’s earlier work. The camera, for instance, is “locked in” throughout
Spoilers ahead…
When speaking of a filmmaker as distinctive as Don Palathara, the latest work becomes a part of a continuum — even if it’s nothing like the earlier ones. Shavam, Vith And 1956, Central Travancore were experimental films, non-narrative films in the sense that they resist conventional plot and character development. All these films feature a number of static shots: the camera is still, locked into whatever action is taking place close or afar. The new film, titled Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam, is a little more “mainstream”. It has something of a “plot”, revolving around a woman (Rima Kallingal as Maria) who is stressed because she may be pregnant. Her live-in boyfriend (Jitin Puthanchery as Jitin) is driving her to a clinic. We follow their journey through a single (i.e. uninterrupted) take.
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Baradwaj Rangan 
Posted on February 13, 2021
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