Reading: Kaathal
My response to Kaathal - The Core (Malayalam, 2023) | Contains spoilers
LOVE
At the start, even before the film credits begin to roll, these four letters appear all by themselves in a small font and yet fill up the vastness of the dark screen in the background.
And then follows a musical composition where the violin starts to tell us a story of quiet longing. As the song progresses, we learn that it has two parts to it.
Two sides to this tale
Like two paths to the same house
Two sides to the bed
I once saw someone use a pair of scissors to cut out their estranged friend from a group photo.
Is there a way to detach without violence?
They told us this is the only way out.
They advised us to commit this one violent act after which we can be free.
But then, violence is not an act but a way of doing
At the family court, I saw a man stand in the witness box and refuse to pay up for his child's school fees - as was being demanded by his now-separated wife.
The Judge asked in exasperation, 'what work do you do?'
'A priest', he answered with some hesitation.
A senior advocate later counseled me:
'A family conflict is unlike any other legal matter. In other cases, we usually have a signed agreement that has been breached and we find evidences to make our case. But in a personal matter, who knows what really happened behind closed doors? It's just one person's word against another's. One accusation over another.'
Omana is not like us.
She traverses beyond disappointment, hurt, anger and despair; towards understanding, forgiveness, love, and finally, liberation. She arrives at a place where we don't even aspire to go.
This journey takes her twenty years.
She has two allies on this path. Her faith that holds her together; and writing stories which gives her an outlet.
Against all odds, Omana remains committed towards her goal of attaining freedom and with love as her only way.
In the end, her single journey reverses the folly of the elders and turns everyone into birds - free to sing and fly.
What a hero!
I have been planning to watch this. Your beautiful review is motivating me even more.
I finished watching it yesterday, and am still glowing in the warm aftermath of a beautifully done story. The acting is sensitive, the story is gentle but I was wondering why it had such an impact on me and you've shined a light on that...Omana is a hero beyond my imaginations. Lovely response, Karthik.