Ennivar

Whilst I wasn't sure about this movie at first, but it kept me interested more than I thought it would. The story itself is fairly straightforward about youngsters who get caught up in the cutthroat world of campus politics and become scapegoats for the bigwigs following a familiar path of consequences towards the climax. However, Sidhartha Siva's directorial debut takes a more direct approach, avoiding unnecessary police procedures, rallies, or exaggerated conflicts.

Even though the outcome is predictable and you can probably guess what happens, the actors do a great job of keeping you engaged till the very end of the film. But what sets this film apart from other campus politics is the focus on the characters and their friendships. Especillay the characters of Anandhu and Kunjippan, their friendship is believable and heartwarming. The climax scene where they have to say goodbye and Kunjippan gives Anandhu his wallet is staged well.

The visuals are pretty good, typical of indie films from Kerala. The usual isolated house with lush landscape setting is there, but the night scenes are especially cool. The background also fits the movie well.

In closing, I will recommend this for those who love indie films. It will definitely be a good watch.

Ennivar (The Following Persons) is an arresting look at the rustic nature of local political organizations in Kerala, and for that matter, anywhere else. It follows a group of men escaping a state of unrest after roughing up college students that resulted from a petty fight. What must have been a one-off incident escalates without their control as they find themselves helpless, slanting on others who do not concur with what has happened. This is a suspense film where you doubt even the air that blows on the characters' faces as everything hints at an omen. Just over 90 minutes and there's enough fodder to make you think about that rustic nature, Ennivar excels in whatever it set out to achieve. This is perhaps one of the best films I have seen in 2023.

I watched this movie after seeing many reviews on social media websites and this one was not at all disappointing. I don't understand why films like this are not getting attention from many cinema lovers out there. I heard this film won a few state awards and that's a good thing. I would suggest that the creators give good promotion to nice movies like this so that they can reach a wider audience.

The running time of this movie is just 90-95 minutes and most of the story is happening between the lead characters. There were few thrilling elements and I liked the slow build-up too. The climax was outstanding, and the movie is going to stay in your mind for a few days.

The lead characters were great, and the story is very relevant. I won't give any spoilers. You should definitely give this a watch. Kudos to Sidhartha Siva for creating a strong and emotional movie like this.