Level Cross

Asif Ali and Amala Paul excel in this movie. The two are different personalities coming from different backgrounds living in different environments, yet share some commonalities. Asif is crude and unrefined working as a gateman at a railway level crossing while Amala Paul is a psychiatrist.

They come to meet each other circumstantially in a remote desert setting at the Railway Level Crossing and embark on a process of mutual discovery on human relationships and life experiences.

Asif Ali excels in his mannerisms and body language as a crude and unrefined person but yet his personality is conditioned by his living circumstances.

The latest Malayalam psychological thriller, Level Cross, is a captivating masterpiece that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. This film, featuring an innovative plot and stellar performances, marks a significant milestone in the genre within the Malayalam film industry.

The story revolves around three main characters, two of whom suffer from psychological disorders. As the narrative unfolds, the line between truth and deception becomes increasingly blurred, leaving the audience in a constant state of suspense. Each scene is meticulously crafted to deepen the mystery, making it nearly impossible to discern who is telling the truth and who is ensnared in their own delusions.

The exceptionally well-written screenplay and the director's innovative techniques create a constant sense of intrigue and flawless pacing, keeping viewers engaged every second.

The three main actors deliver outstanding, authentic performances. Asif Ali has done a great job; his body language and the expression in his eyes excel in performance.

*Levelcross,* starring Asif Ali, Amala Paul, and Sharafudheen, directed by Arfaz Ayub, offers a completely new experience in Mollywood with a storyline full of twists and turns. The film provides a decent amount of thrilling moments without spoon-feeding the audience, making viewers actively engage their brains to solve the puzzle. Asif Ali's portrayal of his character is remarkable, maintaining a consistent performance from start to finish. However, Amala Paul's performance felt somewhat boring in the middle, and Sharafudheen delivered an average performance. Arfaz Ayub's direction was different and new, and I appreciated his unique approach.

On the downside, the set design felt artificial in many places, which detracted from the movie's overall realism. Despite these flaws, *Levelcross* is a decent one-time watch with a lot of new experiences for the audience. The film's unique approach to storytelling and its engaging plot twists make it worth watching, even if there are areas where it could have been better.

Level Cross

A psychological thriller set amidst an imaginary landscape and terrain.

The plot of the movie reflects on Reghu, a Railway Cross Men who is living a remote and secluded life. One day a lady enters into his life unexpectedly and the weird situations that happens in his life afterwards forms the story.

Director has put in his best efforts to showcase various emotions like love,lust,anger,sympathy,empathy,betrayal through his characters in the movie. The movie is moderately paced and Arfaz has done minute detailing of all the three core characters in the story with deeper variations in their performance arc.

The interesting part of the storytelling is the director takes the story through the perspective of all three characters and leaves the audience perplexed.

Splendid performance by Asif Ali and the way he carries Reghu with the prosthetic teeth and makeup was subtle and spot on. The mannerisms he portrayed through his body language synced well with the situation. Impressive performance by Amala Paul and Sharaf.

Arfaz Ayub's debut directorial and the way he carried the movie with an offbeat subject gives the audience the assurance that he is from Jeethu' school of movies and should definitely be looked upto. Brilliant visualization of the barren landscape by Appu Prabhakar.

Arfaz Ayub's distinctive storytelling approach makes the movie worth a one time watch.

Rating - 3.25/5.

Well, let me phrase out positives and negatives which I felt about the movie:

Positives * Asif Ali's performance was really good. Amala Paul was also good, but I didn't find the performance of Sharaf, that convincing.

* Movie was visually great. We all were wondering where is this shot. From the first scene itself, the movie took us into another far far place.

*Even though some parts of the movie was predictable, climax was not what thought was going to happen(Didn't see that coming!! 😅) *Even though the movie was slowly paced, it was interesting and we would feel curious on what is happening and what could happen *Dialogues were realistic * Definitely a good attempt in making

Negatives *Some part of the plot were totally predictable *Even though it was an interesting watch, it was not all that nail bitting thriller.

Overall, I would say a cliche sentence. Not everyone's cup of tea. But I really liked the making and aesthetically appealing visuals. To some extent, it was thrilling and interesting.