Team FC
Thallumaala
We’ve seen a hundred films that begin right in the middle of a battle scene, pushing us straight into action. But Thallumaala sets the film’s visual grammar with an explosion of colours.
Nna Thaan Case Kodu
A satire that had an equally original visual palette was Ratheesh Poduval’s Nna Thaan Case Kodu. In a glorious wide shot, we see the courthouse, a petrol filling station and a clock tower between them.
Dear Friend
The very first shot of the grossly underrated Dear Friend is of a hand spray-painting the letter ‘S’ on a yellow t-shirt.
Bhoothakaalam
The spookiest of all opening shots of all the films this year is inarguably the one in Bhoothakaalam. In another film, a shot of a grandmother walking into the drawing room from the kitchen is one that may have been something that felt a lot more cheery but over here, the slow steps of this old lady are eerie and unnerving like no other.
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey
The montage that Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey begins with isn’t that of any one particular woman. The morning routine, with a quick shower, lunch being prepared and a few other morning chores, could be that of millions of other women in Kerala.