Who would have thought that stalwarts in the Malayalam industry would team-up to finish the first minimal movie sticking to the COVID safety protocols?
Human beings are said to be social animals and most of us hate the solitary life. But the Covid-19 lockdowns one after another and the isolated life have been forcing us to accept the reclusiveness. It changed the dynamics of every industry and work-from-home became the new normal to survive. But this new normal is not apt for movie industries, or so the majority thought! Discussions pointed out that containing the work within the bounds of COVID protocols would bring down the quality of the content. But Mahesh Narayanan and his team just proved them all wrong.
‘CU Soon’, which got released worldwide on Amazon Prime, is a breakthrough attempt in the ‘Computer Screen Film’ or ‘Screenlife’ sub-genre, that unfolds entirely on various mobile and computer screens, without moving outside of the screen. The visuals should resemble the behavior of the footages shot by the camera of the respective device and establish that everything takes place in real-time. CU soon is the first Indian movie to follow this decorum, but it is such an emotionally engaging thriller that won’t let you categorize it as a mere lockdown-movie. Moreover, its relevant content is so well-knit with its form. The audience will stay glued to the screens as Darshana Rajendran, Fahadh Faasil, Roshan Mathews and Amaalda Liz portrayed their roles so effortlessly. They keep viewers on their toes to witness the events without even blinking as if their fictitious screen-life is so real.
‘Computer Screen Film’ or ‘Screenlife’ sub-genre became a trend since the beginning of the last decade and it has its roots in the earlier experimental movies like Numéro Deux(1975), by Jean-Luc Godard and Anne-Marie Miéville.
If you are intrigued by this sub-genre, at least watch ‘Open Windows’ (2014), ‘Searching’ (2017), and Profile (2018).
The form is the vessel that holds the content. Nothing more, nothing less. To imitate the cameras of the devices handled by the characters, the cinematographers have to capture the drama mostly in close-ups and odd-angles. This tends to exaggerate every action and reaction. So if a director can turn this demerit into merit by chiseling the emotional content of the narrative as organic as possible, then it will keep the content intact with the form. If one stands out, then the audience will start to notice the gimmicks and get distracted from the content. Hence I strongly believe that ‘C U Soon’ (2020) is even better than these international movies.
Do let me know your thoughts.
He was institutionalised for 6yrs in a Film Institute, to forget about the 4yrs which an Engg college stole. Inveterate dreamer who dreams to utter Spielberg’s words, “I dream for a living.”
