‘Balan’ movie review: A supremely crafted film in which everyone delivers their best
The film 'Balan', directed by Chidambaran, is praised for its nuanced storytelling and depiction of a mother and son living under multiple identities to escape their past. The review highlights the film's clever writing and empathetic gaze toward its characters.
Why it matters
The film is noted for its high-quality craft and psychological depth, contributing to the evolving landscape of regional cinema.
A certain expectation of a pleasant opening scene builds when the camera pans over a kid’s crayon drawings in the initial moments of Chidambaran’s Balan , until we realise that the drawings are on the walls of a prison cell, where the boy is lodged with his mother. That intriguing sequence sets the tone for the film, in which we are constantly caught in uncommon situations with a set of characters, the ones whom we don’t see often in our cinema, like the trigger-happy but bedridden grandma.
The review reflects the critic's subjective appreciation of the film's artistic merits.
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