Max, Min and Meowzaki

I am director of the jury for the Regina International Film Festival. During the course of my duties, I make notes on each film adjudicated. This review is an expansion of those notes, and includes the opinions of the rest of the jury.

The winner of the Best International Feature award at the Regina International Film Festival 2023 is Max, Min, and Meowzaki.

It is a film that charms at a level approaching the work of Hayao Miyazaki, whom the film's cat is named after, and you could believe it might be the great master's only live action drama, were it spoken in Japanese. It is one of those rare films where so little happens, it feels impossible to describe the plot, but in which so much happens, you leave at the end of the film feeling a little more complete, like some great life event has taken place that has illuminated the meaning of life just that little bit more.

For a small film from Kerala, those unfamiliar with the quality of independent Indian film will likely be blown away by the production standards. Every department operates at a level equal to or better than seen in a major Hollywood release. Admire especially the framing, and the exquisite use of symmetry, serving the story instead becoming it. It would be easy to imagine this film being nominated for a full slate of Oscars. Writer/Director Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy deserves much credit for his deft handling of his own insightful script, and having the humility of being so skilled, yet never drawing the audiences attention to his skill.

All the performances are pitch perfect, but one goes beyond that to be transcendent. Adil Hussain explores the humanity of his role with such bravery and transparency that it will leave an indelible imprint on you. It is one the great performances on film, by anyone, anywhere.

It is an injustice that this film did not receive the attention and recognition it deserved when it was first released in 2022. Seek it out, and give yourself a big mug of warm filmic delight, such as you will only rarely imbibe.