Kalkokkho

After being brought to a mysterious house, a doctor finds himself held captive by three women who require him to treat the eldest of the group, but regardless of his attempts he keeps repeating the day forcing him to find the reason why in order to save the family and leave alive.

Overall, the film has quite a lot going for it. One of the strongest factors is the rather intriguing setup that ties together numerous topical details into a mysterious and engaging narrative. The recent issues with the pandemic are employed front and center here with the household quarantined off, regularly being shown masking or taking hygienic precautions, and being filled with warnings about the dangers of going outside around others. These beats provide a necessary setup to showcase the plight of those stuck in their homes during the pandemic and forced to go through untold trials and tribulations to remain safe while also looking after loved ones. As time goes on and the more stays at the house, the hints about their relationship with each other and the outside world gradually come into focus which works quite well alongside the scattered attempts at being unnerving and terrifying. As this groundwork is being suitably laid out, this one takes the opportunity to weave a rather enjoyable air of genuine mystery and supernatural undertones throughout here. The repetition of the day where he keeps reliving the day from being awoken while still bound and tied up, going through the greetings of the day, and treating the grandmother becomes quite chilling as they keep happening. Regardless of how he tries to break the chain, waking up in the same situation and being forced to go through the same thing is a highly off-putting concept that's rife with psychological terror. When added together with the real-world implications of what's going on, the despair and depression that arises while in the midst of this situation offer a generally effective atmosphere that generates plenty to like about it. There are some drawbacks to bringing the film down. The biggest detriment here is the drama-heavy approach to the material that forces us to rely on the bizarre situation to generate its thrills. That so much of the first half here is built around how he gets brought into the family dynamic and forced to treat the ill grandmother only to be confronted with the generally otherworldly relationship that takes place between the women which are supposed to be the main driving point of the scares comes off underwhelming instead. The idea of calling each other the same name and repeating scenes from before works well enough at first but that only goes so far in building a genuinely unnerving atmosphere before it all comes off repetitive. That also comes about due to the obscene length present, regularly repeating scenes or topics so that it can build up a running time that's far too long for the type of content on display. Trimming some of that repetition down would've gone a long way to making what was already a really good film into a better one.

Rated Unrated/R: Language and traumatic themes.

The national award winner is a tale of doctor who is taken as a hostage in a family of three women during nationwide pandemic where he is stuck in a never ending time loop. The masterful build up of an unnerving atmosphere, where the true nature of his abductors keeps revealing is done well. The dull, dark interiors and the shabby dress worn by the women feels tailor made for the premise the film is build in. A sense of dread, despair creeps into the walls of the room.

But, the film is sometimes an exposition dump and sometimes follows a cautious meta commentary about the human suffering and perspectives during the covid 19 pandemic. Despite the subtlety in the setup and the minor changes in the camera angles in every key scene, the dialogues feel heavy handed when the characters try to rationalize their actions. The idea was nice, the women were supposedly a basis for the metamorphosis the apathetic doctor goes through the film, but despite the technical fluency, the dramatization seems under-cooked. That's why, we couldn't feel any sort of emotional attachment with any of them not even for the hapless doctor who is stuck in a nightmarish time loop.

The prevalent horror tropes of dolls, mysterious chants, a girl reciting rhyme in a freakish monotone all looks perfect for the setup, but the repetition of those sequences seems like overkill. It seems like a desperate attempt for the makers to make the running time cross 2hrs mark. The film could have easily been trimmed down thirty minutes lesser .Sometimes the characters move and perform like in a stage play which is although not a put downer but it feels awkward when it suddenly shifts gear to a stage play like tone.

The social commentaries about the migrant crisis, pandemic misconceptions are addressed in a very on your face approach which again doesn't go with the atmosphere and aesthetics the film is trying to achieve.

What the film successfully does in portraying the monotones, the isolation of that period where each days feels like the replica of the previous one. The paranoia, despair, hopelessness and how different an apocalypse feels like in real life compared to those high octane excitement in movies.

The title of the film is "House of time", it justifies the title quite aptly in the end. The house becomes a synecdoche of what's happening worldwide, stuck in time loop without any window of hope and better things.

The character transformation the doctor goes throughout the film is where the makers are successful in delivering a heartfelt message to us. The film tells us to be kind in difficult times, to care for each other however difficult it may seem like. It tells us the solution for people to get out of those situations is simply humanity, that's it.

As per the performances go, it never hits the mark except Tanistha Biswas and also the makeup seems amateurish and casual, none of the characters are explored well which also maybe is a reason for the performances never being remarkable enough to borrow attention.

The director duo despite being too explicit in the social messaging sometimes has adapted a rarely seen before approach in Bengali cinema, which itself is worth applauding.

I have to admit I was expecting a different type of plot, more psychological less psychopath, at least from the only synopsis i've read before watching it (my bad...sorry), but even though it was a great movie, it actually reminded me of Korean thrillers... you know, the type of movies that get's your attention and you expect more. Another thing that i liked was the color/camera approach... it blended correctly with the music, a peculiar old obscure environment where it should be. I would give this more if part of the plot wasn't obvious at some points, but was good most of it. Also after reading that this is a work from a new pair of director's then i just can't wait to see more of their work! Also i really liked the main actress performance and the great make up they did on her.

Who knew there was still an original exciting thriller to be made? There isn't anything deja vu about this very well paced and directed movie. The camera work is excellent showing just what you need to see to be scared but never leaving you confused. The story is good with unpredictable but still plausible twists. You never feel cheaply shocked or let down by an unbelievable twist. It's more exciting when you are kind of rooting for both sides at the same time.

Best thriller in recent memory. A breathtaking roller coaster ride. Kudos to the director, screenwriter and actors.

Deserves to top the box office.

DON'T READ REVIEWS FOR THIS FILM!!!

Avoid trailers and movie clips too. Avoid anything that could be a spoiler.

The less you know the better the film will be.

If you're a horror/thriller fan GO SEE THIS RIGHT NOW. You will be very glad you did.

The film was exhilarating, tense, eerie, and exhausting, with an amazing score.

Thank you Rajdeep Paul, Sarmistha Maiti.

Now to try to sleep...