Adithattu

Adithattu might not be this mind-blowingly unique experience. But it is a thriller that manages to do a lot of things that will impress you immensely as a cinephile. Jijo Anthony, who was going after formulaic commercial entertainers after an impressive debut with Konthayum Poonoolum, grabs the control back to his hands entirely and delivers a movie that looks uncompromised. With a setting that complements the emotional undercurrent of the story, Adithattu is an admirable effort.

The movie is set against the backdrop of the sea. A 6 member crew, whose leader recently committed suicide, is about to go to the sea to catch the fish and since they are short on strength, one member suggests taking Marcos, a fellow fisherman, with the team. With everyone in the crew still unable to cope with the demise of their leader, the fishing days become extremely intense. What all unfold during that time is what we see in Adithattu.

Written by Khais Millen, the best thing about Adithattu is that it rarely spoonfeeds you. And the emphasis is not to present a thriller with a climax twist. We are not even shown a flashback sequence here to show the leader of the group who passed away. But Jijo could make us feel the impact he had on the crew using the entire film. It’s almost like watching the second half of a conventional revenge drama. But the difference is that the whole first half is playing in our head. And that also we are building from the discrete information we get while watching the film.

We have been seeing Shine Tom Chacko in those really “high” characters for a long time, and it was so nice to see him in a character that talks less and communicates volumes. Ambro’s dynamic with each character looked natural, and Shine was able to give us a perspective of that character. Sunny Wayne as Marcos gets a chance to do something totally different from his safe zone. Alexandar Prashanth gets a memorable character in the film. Tamil actor Jaya Palan plays the emotional Dinkan. Murugan Martin and Joseph Yesudas are the other two prominent names here.

The movie’s duration is only 94 minutes. But it never feels like a movie that just ended abruptly. The runtime is used to focus on the characters, and hence you are not distracted. The cinematography by Pappinu is breathtaking in terms of visual composition. But the handheld-type shots with some long takes give you an onlooker perspective. Noufal Abdullah knows how to build intrigue by keeping things calm. It is only during physical fights he is going after multiple cuts within a sequence. During conversations, the visuals are on the steadier side. The music beautifully elevates the tension.

Adithattu is a cinephile’s delight. It comes at a time when movies in large are going after formulas. The cuss-words frequency is understandably high, and thus the movie is certified A. If you like nuanced thrillers with less spoonfeeding and more character detailing, Adithattu will clearly impress you.