Not for the faint of heart. Not for the immature. Definitely not for the impressionable.
I thought I'd seen movies that were dark, but this one plumbs the murkiest depths (even literally) of pure evil, that's irredeemable, no matter what.
Make no mistake, this is one hell of a disturbing experience. And I know I said that before.
But, going boldly where no one has tread before, seems to be something of a recurring theme for director/writer /all-round auteur Anurag Kashyap.
And I thought his 'Ugly' churned the evil within us, the evil all around us. This, probes deeper, and comes out with goo that sticks, that sucks life out, and cannot be cleaned easily, if ever.
This one's either a spiritual sequel, or a companion piece, to both 'Ugly' and 'Badlapur'.
In spite of the standard disclaimers and information we already have about this movie, and information on how it got made, which is all over the news all the time, the twist, of sorts, packs a wallop. A mean one, at that.
Poetically, I also thought this kinda twisted what was meant and conveyed in the little seen movie with Steve Carell and Keira Knightley, 'Seeking a friend for the end of the world'. Twisted. Mean. Nasty.
And just because there are sequences with heavy doses of humor (the gallows kind, of course), doesn't mean it's not gonna end in tears.
Now, I'm not sure this message (and others inherent in this work) is gonna come across, but it did, for me, like a sledgehammer blow: Kashyap makes us watch, makes us culpable, makes us feel dirty, makes us feel guilty, unwashed, which is the way it should be, while dealing with violence, especially in a society where it has been justified and glorified forever.
Like it has been his signature style, he puts it all in our head, and only suggests it on screen. Makes the pain all the more worse, imho.
Effective, nevertheless, which is what I'm sure he was going for. The makers want us to reflect, to ponder, to take note. We, their audience, have no choice. Can't look away.
Needless to say, all performances are top-notch, and awards worthy, if the audiences give it a chance/or are brave enough to take it, and get the messages.
I thought the audience cheering for Siddiqui's villainous character In 'Badlapur' was representative of Raghavan trying to make a statement, but the way the audience hangs on Siddiqui's every word, every expression, as well as that of the other lead, Vicky Kaushal, takes this to another level altogether. Harrowing. Disturbing. Definitely not for everyone. Yet, lessons abound. For everyone. For those who do not look away, for those who like to think.
The throbbing score, the on-location work, the low budget Indie aesthetic, enhance the overall effect, without detracting from content, the way it should be.
I'll never watch this again. This is like one of Haneke's harrowing works.
I thought I'd seen movies that were dark, but this one plumbs the murkiest depths (even literally) of pure evil, that's irredeemable, no matter what.
Make no mistake, this is one hell of a disturbing experience. And I know I said that before.
But, going boldly where no one has tread before, seems to be something of a recurring theme for director/writer /all-round auteur Anurag Kashyap.
And I thought his 'Ugly' churned the evil within us, the evil all around us. This, probes deeper, and comes out with goo that sticks, that sucks life out, and cannot be cleaned easily, if ever.
This one's either a spiritual sequel, or a companion piece, to both 'Ugly' and 'Badlapur'.
In spite of the standard disclaimers and information we already have about this movie, and information on how it got made, which is all over the news all the time, the twist, of sorts, packs a wallop. A mean one, at that.
Poetically, I also thought this kinda twisted what was meant and conveyed in the little seen movie with Steve Carell and Keira Knightley, 'Seeking a friend for the end of the world'. Twisted. Mean. Nasty.
And just because there are sequences with heavy doses of humor (the gallows kind, of course), doesn't mean it's not gonna end in tears.
Now, I'm not sure this message (and others inherent in this work) is gonna come across, but it did, for me, like a sledgehammer blow: Kashyap makes us watch, makes us culpable, makes us feel dirty, makes us feel guilty, unwashed, which is the way it should be, while dealing with violence, especially in a society where it has been justified and glorified forever.
Like it has been his signature style, he puts it all in our head, and only suggests it on screen. Makes the pain all the more worse, imho.
Effective, nevertheless, which is what I'm sure he was going for. The makers want us to reflect, to ponder, to take note. We, their audience, have no choice. Can't look away.
Needless to say, all performances are top-notch, and awards worthy, if the audiences give it a chance/or are brave enough to take it, and get the messages.
I thought the audience cheering for Siddiqui's villainous character In 'Badlapur' was representative of Raghavan trying to make a statement, but the way the audience hangs on Siddiqui's every word, every expression, as well as that of the other lead, Vicky Kaushal, takes this to another level altogether. Harrowing. Disturbing. Definitely not for everyone. Yet, lessons abound. For everyone. For those who do not look away, for those who like to think.
The throbbing score, the on-location work, the low budget Indie aesthetic, enhance the overall effect, without detracting from content, the way it should be.
I'll never watch this again. This is like one of Haneke's harrowing works.