Crossroad

Crossroad has multiple crowns: the worst Malayalam film of 2017, the worst anthology film ever, and perhaps the worst film on women. I could go on and on naming crowns for this film that consists of mindless ten 15-minute stories that are not only poorly made but largely incomplete. The first story starring Padmapriya makes a little bit sense as it shows the professionalism of a prostitute who when does not find a client one day goes and lulls a kid to sleep. After that, it's a downward trend for the stories, led by some very talented actors like Mamta Mohandas, Srinda, Mythili, and Anjali Upasana. Yet the stories look like they were made as an experiment and just to fill the 160-minute running time. How else would you define a story about a monoacting woman who monoacts for ten minutes and then goes back to jail. I cannot even fathom what half of these tales wanted to convey. Of course, all of them are women-centric, but they do not make one good point. Most of the stories end like were pulled from a full-length film. They are like one of those fables you make out of thin air to tell to your 5-year-old niece. She buys it but an informed audience wouldn't. Just like how people didn't buy Netflix's recent anthology feature Lust Stories (2018). While that at least had some entertainment quotient, Crossroad suffers from starting problem. Low production value, lazy writing, and an overall shadow of dullness projects on these 10 tales that are not worth your time. Skip for life. TN.