Mercury (2018):
With three acclaimed films in his filmography,Karthik Subbaraj became a favorite for movie-buffs all over India.He once again comes up with a film that is not everyday fare. Karthik Subbaraj once again proves he is gutsy and audacious enough to try his hands at a silent film especially to a modern tech-savvy audience who get restless when a scene goes silent.So how is it?
Plot:
The film is set amidst a group of five deaf and dumb friends who accidentally kill a man(Prabhu Deva) during a road journey. Appalled with their ghostly crime, they cremate the body in a nearby forest. But to their bad luck, the dead man comes live and makes their life hell. Well, how does all this happen forms the entire crux of the film.
My Review:
Surprisingly,Mercury is the weakest in the terms of Subbaraj's writing.While his previous films have terrific writing with intense drama,Mercury is just the regular Hollywood plot but this is where Subbaraj showcased all his direction skills.We can see his mark in every scene of the film.
Disability in films is generally an underdog trait. But here, Subbaraj spends a languid opening twenty minutes establishing their chemistry so that it's not sympathy but empathy that will come to define their circumstances. Even their sign language is shown throughout the film without any subtitles.
This film totally belongs to technical departments who gave their 100% output.Santhosh Narayanan's music elevates the intensity of the scenes put on display. The violins used as part of the BGM, in particular, are beautiful and sounds soothing to the ear.National-award winning cinematographer Tirru is one of the silent heroes of the film. The shot-divisions, camera movement, and the lighting not only set the mood but also set the scary mood.
Performances are good.Indhuja is the show stealer of the film.Rest of the cast is good.
So,Mercury is worth watching for Subbaraj's direction and its technical excellence.
My Rating 7/10
