Level Cross

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.

The film takes us to a desert where time and place become unrecognizable.

A railway track passes through the desert. Although there's no road crossing it, there is a level crossing.

In this desolation, a gateman and his donkey exist... and as each scene unfolds slowly, we are drawn into the story environment of 'Level Cross'.

Beautiful frames... Appu Prabhakar's cinematography allows us to enjoy three-quarters of 'Level Cross'.

The long shots, the slow pace of storytelling, the lack of dialogue, and the absence of many characters make the first half-hour a bit dull, but the film picks up as the train starts moving.

The film becomes engaging through predictable yet flawless interval blocks.

The director manages to confuse the audience by narrating the story of the three characters from different points of view.

Even though the film stands out for its technical excellence and unique narrative style, 'Level Cross' is not for everyone.

If you look closely at Asif Ali's performance as the gateman Raghu, you'll find shades of Mammootty's Putturumis and Mada. However, it's no small feat that Asif Ali managed to carry off the role so effectively.

Although Sharafuddin and Amala Paul handle their roles well, they are not given as challenging roles as Asif Ali's.

Vishal Chandrasekhar's background score blends magnificently with the film's mood. There are minor flaws in the set design, especially in the house near the level crossing, but they don't take away from the overall experience.

The twists in the second half enhance the enjoyment of the level crossing scenes.

In the end, I was convinced that the ghost story-the one about a spirit walking with its head turned around-was not just a subplot but an integral part of the narrative. The director doesn't hesitate to let the audience guess who the ghost really is.

Leaving aside the slow-paced storytelling and the overly dramatic dialogues, Arfaaz Ayub's 'Level Cross' is an experimental film with technical brilliance that deserves appreciation.

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.

The film Levelcross is a cinematic work belonging to the mystery thriller drama genres, which was directed by Arfaz Ayub.

The narrative concerns Raghu, who is employed as a gatekeeper on the railway. The railway crossing is located in a deserted area, where only Raghu and his donkey are known to reside. The property is located in close proximity to the level crossing. There is no evidence of habitation. The necessity for him to travel extensively for the purpose of collecting water is indicative of a challenging living environment. On one occasion, a young female passenger was observed to leap from the moving train while the train was in the process of crossing. The subject sustained multiple injuries. Raghu subsequently took responsibility for her care, escorting her to his residence. Upon regaining consciousness, she experiences a strong inclination to depart from the location. However, it was not possible to proceed from that point. Raghu is a meticulous and attentive carer to her. The following day, he apprised her of the existence of a railway telephone. The functionality of the system is restricted exclusively to incoming data. The telephone is designed to activate when the train passes the final station prior to the level crossing. Raghu reassured her that he would inform about her by telephone. However, she declined the offer. In point of fact, the woman was forcibly removed from the train as a consequence of her decision to depart from her marital relationship. The subject is a medical practitioner specialising in psychiatry, who is known by the name of Chaithali. Her first patient was a young man named Zincho. Following a period of mental recovery, the pair subsequently fell in love and married. Following the nuptials, Zincho exhibited indications of psychological distress, which subsequently intensified. This constituted the rationale behind the act of jumping from the train. Raghu experienced romantic and sexual inclinations towards her. However, he demonstrated self-control. The subjects commenced a conventional existence in the locale. During the course of the investigation, Chaithali discovered an ID card and several new reports that indicated the individual in question was not Raghu. These new reports indicated that the individual had been involved in a family killing. She experienced a sense of trepidation in his presence. Subsequently, he divulged that his spouse had been unfaithful to him. It is evident that the individual in question committed the heinous crime of murdering his wife and children, and subsequently fled from his village. Upon arriving at the level crossing, it was observed that the individual known as Raghu was in fact engaged in his assigned duties at that location. He commenced cohabitation with him at that address. Following the demise of the original Raghu, he assumes the role of gatekeeper. It is evident that both Raghu and Chaithali have demonstrated a high level of emotional response and a strong sense of connection.

Subsequently, Zincho arrived at the location, seeking Chaithali. Raghu was prived to a similar account of Chaithali from Zincho. In this particular instance, however, the physician was Zincho and Chaithali was the patient. Raghu experiences a state of perplexity in their presence. Raghu made a request to Zincho that he should leave Chaithali unattended. In the given context, Chaithali struck Zincho with a rod. He becomes unconscious. Raghu subsequently caused the death of Zincho by repeatedly striking him. Subsequently, a medical report was obtained that indicated that Chaithali was the original patient. The film concluded with the revelation that the story of Raghu's infidelity story had been fabricated. The subject killed her previous girlfriend, and her family, because she refused him.

The narrative is characterised by a series of unexpected plot developments, creating a sense of suspense and intrigue. The subject is concerned with the secret lives and lies of humans.

The narrative was of adequate and the direction was excellent, with beautiful cinematography. The performances are also worthy of commendation. This is a valuable resource for individuals who wish to watch the film once.

A good attempt from the creators. There are very few movies like this from Malayalam cinema. Asif Ali has done an amazing job and so far 2024 has been rewarding him so well, lots of good movies with characters of different shade.

The production design is the highlight of this film and the location also plays an important role in the movie. The movie is slow-paced and this is where it becomes a tedious task for the audience. It would have been great to wrap it up early but the movie went on and on. Even though it's only 90 minutes, I found the film somewhat difficult to watch. Many thriller elements could have been added to this movie but anyway I appreciate the effort from the director.