By the time you finish watching Angamaly Diaries, a slice of Angamaly's dialect, flavor and rawness is bound to stay with you. That's vintage Pellissery for you. His brand of film-making is such that every venture that he takes up leaves a mark of its own.
Lijo takes you on a bumpy ride filled with ups and downs aplenty. On the way, there's plenty of local flavor to be savored though. The shots of the delectable-looking food are alarmingly drool-worthy. But we also get to see the rather-ugly side of town in the form of pig-slaughter houses, bloodshed and filthy gang-wars that occur at the most untimely of situations. The movie racks up the debut of a bunch of (brilliant) amateur artists, 86 in number, who are hilariously madcap in their own unique mannerisms.
The movie is told from the perspective of Vincent Pepe (played by Antony Varghese). There is a tinge of Kammatipaadam here and there, but this film draws its own boundaries and arcs with respect to its characters. The coming-of-age saga is executed with ample effervescence (church, celebratory events, women, local toddy and palatable starters, idolization of a local goon, thug-fights and the like!) that somewhat lend a breezy feel. The opening scene is a blast. One gets the idea straightaway that you're not in for the typical goonda film. The robust undercurrent of black humor adds to the overall zing. The name of characters are so inventively cooked- up..Appani Ravi, 10 ml Thomas, U-clamp Rajan, Maramkothi Sijo, the two Martys (Kanakuna & Parippu). These guys seem to have mastered the art of anger, aggression and sarcasm.
The interval block is also terrifically done. A little something that Pepe rambles to his fellow-thug-friend and how things pan out a few moments later. The attention to detail is impeccable..it is quite evident that Chemban and Lijo know Angamaly inside out. Some of the scenes even carry the impression of the entries in a personal diary. Even when things start looking grim, the guys do sing-alongs, get drunk as often as they used to, tease their ladies, and try their best to untangle themselves from personal problems.
The climax sequence is a masterstroke. A single take that spans 11 minutes taking place during a palli-perunnaal (church-organized festival & celebrations that include bandwagon, music & long processions) featuring hundreds of artists, briskly choreographed action, and a fairly unforeseen (cracker of a) finale. Music by Prashant Pillai and Cinematography by Girish Gangadharan are worthy of a standing ovation.
On the downside, the storyline may seem too simple and uneventful to some. Also, the violence depicted is definitely on the higher end (but the writing is sufficiently compelling!), which may turn-off a few. I'd not say these are good-enough reasons to stay away from watching the film at all though. Enjoy Angamaly in all its glory!
Lijo takes you on a bumpy ride filled with ups and downs aplenty. On the way, there's plenty of local flavor to be savored though. The shots of the delectable-looking food are alarmingly drool-worthy. But we also get to see the rather-ugly side of town in the form of pig-slaughter houses, bloodshed and filthy gang-wars that occur at the most untimely of situations. The movie racks up the debut of a bunch of (brilliant) amateur artists, 86 in number, who are hilariously madcap in their own unique mannerisms.
The movie is told from the perspective of Vincent Pepe (played by Antony Varghese). There is a tinge of Kammatipaadam here and there, but this film draws its own boundaries and arcs with respect to its characters. The coming-of-age saga is executed with ample effervescence (church, celebratory events, women, local toddy and palatable starters, idolization of a local goon, thug-fights and the like!) that somewhat lend a breezy feel. The opening scene is a blast. One gets the idea straightaway that you're not in for the typical goonda film. The robust undercurrent of black humor adds to the overall zing. The name of characters are so inventively cooked- up..Appani Ravi, 10 ml Thomas, U-clamp Rajan, Maramkothi Sijo, the two Martys (Kanakuna & Parippu). These guys seem to have mastered the art of anger, aggression and sarcasm.
The interval block is also terrifically done. A little something that Pepe rambles to his fellow-thug-friend and how things pan out a few moments later. The attention to detail is impeccable..it is quite evident that Chemban and Lijo know Angamaly inside out. Some of the scenes even carry the impression of the entries in a personal diary. Even when things start looking grim, the guys do sing-alongs, get drunk as often as they used to, tease their ladies, and try their best to untangle themselves from personal problems.
The climax sequence is a masterstroke. A single take that spans 11 minutes taking place during a palli-perunnaal (church-organized festival & celebrations that include bandwagon, music & long processions) featuring hundreds of artists, briskly choreographed action, and a fairly unforeseen (cracker of a) finale. Music by Prashant Pillai and Cinematography by Girish Gangadharan are worthy of a standing ovation.
On the downside, the storyline may seem too simple and uneventful to some. Also, the violence depicted is definitely on the higher end (but the writing is sufficiently compelling!), which may turn-off a few. I'd not say these are good-enough reasons to stay away from watching the film at all though. Enjoy Angamaly in all its glory!
