Helen

A survival drama with absolutely no exaggeration and perfectly depicted certain elements

Helen (given name) made me tear up not because of the survival element - which is a rarity in Malayalam cinema, I should add - but because of standout performances by Lal and Anna Ben who play a father-daughter duo with so much delicacy and warmth it drives the thriller forward without being hammy. It is when Ben's character gets stuck in a cold storage unit one day that things take a turn in the plot as the director uses the event to highlight a series of issues currently plaguing the country: police apathy and their morality lens, caste discrimination, and work stress. It is rather delicious to find these topics scattered as garnishing in a film that is by and large about survival. How Ben manages to enact her challenging role is definitely an attracting element here but what I would like to move your attention to is the range of Lal and how effortlessly he plays the role of a father figure with ultimate finesse it reminded me of my own. Helen has been made well with slight issues in screenplay in the first half and a little bit of convenience storytelling but overall it comes around and will make you feel emotional towards the end. There's no way you'll feel disappointed. TN.

The movie is definitely inspired by Andres Bais directed 2011 thriller La Cara Oculta or The Hidden Face.Apart from the basic premise Helen manages to hold on with superlative performances from the lead cast. The movie starts with establishing Helens character, a nursing graduate with aspirations to go abroad, earn and help her father played to perfaction by Anna Ben and Lal.Helen works part time in a restaurant and is seeing a muslim boy.unexpected turn of events brings in ruthless cop Aju Verghese into the frames, which leads to a night of desperate hunt for Helen who goes missing. Power packed performances and fuss free direction from debutant director Mathukkutty Xavier makes the movie a convincing and compelling watch

Helen - a mixture of suspense and emotions backed up by amazing performance by Anna Ben .. Supporting cast are perfect.. Chilling experience to watch it on big screen . A film not be missed

What a year is 2019 for Malayalam cinema. So many movies that takes this industry to further heights. Helen is the recent wonder and a film Mollywood can be proud of in survival thriller genre. Helen starts as a family movie and slowly turns into a survival thriller. The movie keeps us engaged all the time. Anna Ben's electrifying performance as Helen Paul deserves a standing ovation and was simply one of the best performances of the year. She has improved much better from her previous role and debut movie in Kumbalangi Nights. She was very good in that movie too. Lal and Aju Varghese has also done an excellent job in supporting roles. Mathukuttu Xavier never compromises the quality of the movie and has done everything he could've done to make the best out of this thrilling story. Anend C Chandran's cinematography and the makeup artists also deserves applause. Overall, Helen is a movie that Mallu's can ve proud of and it is a must watch in theatre experience.