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Join UsStar Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Linga, Madhampatty Rangaraj, Mathi and others
Director: Eashvar Karthic
What’s Good: Keerthy Suresh on a quest with her baby bump makes this unbelievable trajectory look good.
What’s Bad: The second half, seemed like the deadline was near and someone wrote in a hurry.
Loo Break: It’s on OTT, you guys!
Watch or Not?: Watch it if you are a fan of Keerthy Suresh’s work or if thriller excites you. But go in with zero expectations. If other options, you could skip this.
User Rating:
A child disappears for six years leaving his now-separated parents shattered. While the world says he is dead, Rhythm (Keerthy) is stubborn that her son is still alive. Expecting for the second time in her second marriage, Rhythm finds her son again one day, but the kidnapper accompanies too. Who is this masked kidnapper? Why is the child mute? Did the writer forget to sketch a good climax? Let’s find out! (PS: not giving any spoilers).
Penguin Movie Review: Script Analysis
Penguin opens to a beautiful landscape of Kodaikanal, where a cruel mystery unfolds. Just like the noir drama league suggests, it opens to blood, horror, suspense, and a mysterious villain. Written in a non-linear manner for the first half, writer-director Eashvar Karthic sets the base just right.
Till the interval, the script explores all possibilities, of planned murder, kidnapping, even the central character’s mental state.
At this point, we reach the second half. And this is where my friends the aeroplane starts crashing. As said in the beginning, what starts as a perfect noir drama, escalates into lazy writing and a lazier climax.
Talking about the climax, kid you not I was excited, and my excitement was killed with this one. The big reveal just comes in and goes away. There are two reveals by the way. The first one while left me confused was better than the main.
I cannot reveal much about the story, but some questions, why is Keerthy Suresh’s character Rhythm doing police’s job? How does she so easily find a killer and the police don’t? It’s 2020, are we still writing family disputed climaxes? I will leave it there.
Penguin Movie Review: Star Performance
Keerthy Suresh takes the centre stage in this suspense thriller. And trust me, she is the only reason to be hooked to this drama. The actor gets into her part and plays it with conviction, even when the script is not in her favour.
Another actor who deserves a mention is Mathi. You will see.
Penguin Movie Review: Direction, Music
Penguin depends a lot on its direction, and Eashvar does a good job until the script starts failing. The second big reveal is so rushed and baseless that by this time if I was in a theatre, I would have started looking at the exit door.
Cinematographer Palani Karthik captures Kodaikanal in its rawness. The lush green landscape where beauty lurks everywhere is the same place where demons hide. His camera does the job.
Music by Santhosh Narayanan is confusing though. A piece of music that plays during the quest for the son, can be used for a happy sequence as well (in my opinion), thus confusing. Maybe more focus on background score would have done wonders.
Penguin Movie Review: The Last Word
Penguin isn’t a perfect example of noir. It’s scattered and the second half curse is evident. Though Keerthy Suresh is in her element, the script is not.
Penguin Movie Review Star Rating: 2.5/5 stars (Two and a half star)
Penguin Trailer
Penguin releases on 19th June 2020.
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