2018: Unity-en-Catastrophe

Star Cast: Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Tanvi Ram, Kunchacko Boban, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Sshivada, and Lal
Music Composed by Nobin Paul
Cinematography by Akhil George
Edited by Chaman Chakko 2018 Movie Review
Directed by Jude Anthany Joseph

I will start with one thing I don’t normally do – apologize. I was looking to share this review as quickly as I can but it got delayed due to some unavoidable reasons. Well, I try to stay away from situations where I’ve to apologize but this delay…

Anyways, let’s move on to the important topic of discussion – the 2018 Movie. Malayalam films have been like an Oasis amidst regular stuff that keeps coming our way day in and day out. I am not saying every Malayalam film has succeeded in delivering but when they do, My man, they DO!! Every movie cannot be a classic as many filmmakers wish them to be. It is sad that the dream that asks us to chase for a lifetime, starts to break in front of our eyes and we can do nothing. Many cannot accept it and hence, we tend to meet people who some or another way still try to keep that dream alive and march forward. While this seems to be a filmmaker’s plight only, it is true for those who dedicate their lives to one wild dream that everyone says is unattainable. 2018 also talks about such a dream – Unity in Diversity.

Yes, India is a dream of many. The land never learned to be united unless something major evokes humanity and consciousness among us. At one time, Gandhi had to be the voice of force that could unite many. But we did not learn how to be united even after getting freedom. We started our celebrations by breaking the homes of people and burning down villages, and assets. The dispute that division brought into our lives still exists as hatred towards one community or the other. Before the freedom struggle, we gave a chance to plan the execution of a colonist’s dream of making us all one colony under their empire. How? We never knew how to be united and help each other. If someone tried, then there was someone else who demolished that dream. When two kids fight, mother has to rise up to the occasion and be that strict boss, who is hated. Mother Nature, has been taking that place these days and we are forced to learn lessons in Unity-en-Catastrophe. 2018 is all about that.

Spoilers Alert:

Floods threatened to submerge entire Kerala underwater in 2018. Had the floods really come out at the maximum danger levels as predicted, today, maybe many low-lying areas of God’s Own Country might have been wiped out. At such a time, when even Keralaites thought many areas are safe, most of them had to eat a humble pie and learn the basics – respect others if you wish you gain respect. Jude Anthany Joseph impressed yours’ truly, in Ohm Shanti Oshaana [2014]. He showcased his talent in bringing freshness to the table in a simple tale. Nazriya Nazim has become the epitome of cuteness in that film. Those who did not watch it yet, give it a try, your weekend will be made. Now, in 2018, he has grown ever better in handling emotional sequences and engaging us throughout. Some sequences made the entire theatre gasp for breath at the same time. Yes, he is that good in this film. After a horror film like Conjuring, I witnessed the entire theatre shouting in shock at one place. I don’t want to reveal it here. Go to a theatre near you to experience it. And the sequences where houses are filling up with water or submerged villages, are perfectly executed. In a film, it is hard to make us believe that it is all real and that it is all happening in front of our eyes. Jude Anthany and his crew pulled it off with perfection. I would be happy to know from them how they pulled off massive flooding sequences. One scene or stretch of shots that show us a home flooding in front of our eyes, will leave a lump in our throat. At a point, even though not explicitly, we all will scream for someone to help that family.

In another sequence, even though we know what will happen, we too cheer along with those on screen. And when someone decides to not care for them but to save kids and even others with him, sacrificing himself, we tend to shed a tear or two for that man. HUGE RESPECT TO JUDE ANTHONY AND HIS TEAM for giving such an impeccable experience. At times, they made us feel that water is suffocating us and flooding below us. Yes, some sequences are that good. I found myself pleading for someone to save those characters that the director made us care for, successfully. Can’t stress on this enough, if a film industry with such limited resources can go all-out to achieve such realism on screen, where are our big budgets being spent? Maybe Caravans if they can speak, they can give us true stories about where all the wastage is happening. 2018 is a marvel in technical aspects and portrays the realism of catastrophic events on screen.

As even the moon carries some dark spots, this momentous film also limits itself from really achieving its full potential. It could’ve been a film that should be stored in archives for future generations. Alas, the dark or weak spots limit to being a great attempt at recording the Highest Jump, it can ever achieve. My problems lie with the half-hearted portrayal of government involvement. Maybe people have come together to be united, but such a catastrophe cannot be eased off without the help of the government. Their plans or at least the character of Kunchako Boban (They could have inspired from the films like The Wave [2015]) needed to be designed better. It just appears as if his one idea and one dialogue about acting before it is too late, are all that the government did in this case. Chief Minister‘s character appears randomly and disappears even more randomly. The pay-off for the Fisherman-Model character did not seem to have been well-rounded. Then, the major issue is Anoop‘s character. Maybe the irony behind someone who helps everyone dies in the end without no one to help or while helping serves best for dramatic sense. But here it just seemed an obvious choice with a popular actor playing the role. Maybe had that character could survive, it might have given hope to many watching in theatres to be like him rather than now, it leaves a fear that we might end up like him. Not saying that everyone should survive or the portrayal did not string at the heart. It is the way, it happened and at what juncture it happened, that just seemed like stretching it too much for the dramatic value.

Even Vineeth Sreenivasan‘s character could have been designed even better or had something more to deliver than just a gift. Not asking for any fights or heated conversations. Maybe some more gestures or one or two nods here and there about the friendliness and helping nature of the character might have helped the drama, even better. Well, all these gripes are being shared in the hope to see someone else attempting such films to give us an even better experience that doesn’t leave us wondering with what did we just watch, in the underwhelming sense. All these occur to us after watching the film. While we are at it, we don’t tend to move a muscle in the second hour. 2018 deserves its place in our hearts as one of those well-intentioned and deftly executed crafty scripts. Had they corrected some loopholes or designed some characters even better, the overall experience would’ve been like a child walking into an exhibition or fair for the first time. Everything would’ve been a surprise and every moment, a lasting experience. Rather it leaves us craving for some more perfection at places where it could’ve achieved it. To conclude, 2018 is that marriage meal that offers us everything yet pours in more sweetness in the start and forcefully feeds us some sour items to leave us an after-taste.

Theatrical Trailer: 2018 Movie Review