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Join UsStar Cast: Indrans, Sreenath Bhasi, Nalsen K. Gafoor, Manju Pillai, Deepa Thomas and ensemble.
Director: Rojin Thomas
What’s Good: Finally, a film acknowledging all the characters cinema has forever used as plot points, and making them the hero. The beauty is, there is no hero here, just Oliver Twist and his cuteness.
What’s Bad: The runtime as long as a period drama which leads to the film become preachy and dilutes the purpose.
Loo Break: Take time and watch this one. Have an empty bladder so you can enjoy the moments that are small but highly relatable.
Watch or Not?: It is a feel-good film, and one that has released after a very long time. I want you to watch and cherish your daily life on screen.
Language: Malayalam (Subtitles)
Available on: Amazon Prime Video
User Rating:
Children grow up but for their parents they are always the munchkins they one day brought home. Technically challenged Oliver Twist (Indrans) is father to two such boys who are now grown up and navigating their route in their respective lives but forget to acknowledge their father who is a silent giver, but never glorifies his victories. Get on board for this journey is heart breaks and Self-realisation; come out of it with a smile.
Home Movie Review: Script Analysis
The definition of family over the years has changed drastically. The dynamic that children and their parents share even more. Home, in its primary conflict, acknowledges this very argument and what it does to people who have a lot to learn about the modern world yet. Written by Rojin Thomas, the story is set in a house lavish enough to accommodate a joint family. The father is a silent doer. He almost does all the chores with his wife without complaining. Once when he does, he regrets it later.
So Rojin makes Oliver Twist, the father, aka Papa, the hero of his story. The perspective throughout is his and how he sees his ecosystem in a mansion unfold around him. Youngest son Charles (Nalsen), clever for his own good, is a lazy chap but still close to parents. Eldest Antony, a budding filmmaker is arrogant, and an outright toxic man, only spitting negativity because he has problems going on in his personal life. Of course, he has a soft corner too, but the arrogant side overpowers.
Now, Oliver, whom Antony sees like an average Joe good for nothing, has to become his son’s friend. He is also an old man wanting to learn the new technology, precisely smart phone. Home is a tale of a family we have seen or maybe one we are living in. The characters are people from around us, their problems and struggles are real, and so are their solutions. Thomas creates the main plot relatable to the tee and makes sure his audience connects to even the Fish Tank stand that breaks one day, signifying the chaos in the household and the pressure it has created. You will see.
Home at the core becomes a story of acceptance. Accepting your family with its simplicity, they need not be extra ordinary or superhumans to feel proud of them. Oliver Twist craves for his son to give him the same acknowledgement he provides to his overachiever father-in-law, but he never really gets angry at Antony for not giving it. Thomas definitely draws inspiration from people around him.
Rojin makes sure he doesn’t make Oliver a saint. In the beginning you see him being a rebel in front of his disabled father, and later when Sreenath’s Antony does it in full throttle, you observe genes have indeed passed from generation to generation.
But what pulls down the energy in this tale about love, longing, and acceptance is the writer deciding to branch out the story to the maximum. We are introduced to multiple conflicts that do have a stake in the summation, but not enough to invest our time into. For example, for a brief moment, Home acknowledges mental health, never to be spoken again. It talks about smartphone addiction, only to be used as a reason. It only becomes preachy and doesn’t add much.
Home Movie Review: Star Performance
Rojin Thomas wins a gold in casting. Every actor performing their parts to perfection and finesse. Indrans playing Oliver Twist is what experience does to a seasoned actor. Differentiating whether it is acting or documentation becomes difficult, and he wins heart with his smile. I was for real hurt when Antony burst out at him.
Sreenath Bhasi becomes the son parents don’t want theirs to become. He gets the tone right and becomes a layered character expected out of him. Nalsen K Gafoor gets to show his versatility in a week. A brainwashed teen in Kuruthi and a lively chap in Home, he has the charm.
Manju Pillai manages to win hearts even amid all these talented men. Her portrayal of the mother who is stuck between a family that is borderline crazy is worth watching.
Home Movie Review: Direction, Music
Rojin Thomas, in his writing and direction, is headstrong about one thing, and that is not having a hero in his film. It’s a family-like yours and mine, and this is the time camera zooms in into the ones it has neglected for years. He brings warmth in his direction, be it Indrans curiosity to learn smart phone, or him sad face that pierces out heart, he knows what draws audience.
Rahul Subrahmanian’s music serves the purpose and works well with the script, but I am not sure about the recall value.
Home Movie Review: The Last Word
It is a slice of life film for real. The family in Home is yours and mine. You will find characters that resemble people in your life. Watch Home and live the feel-good vibe for a few hours amid these testing times.
3.5 Stars
Home Trailer
Home releases on 19th August, 2021.
Share with us your experience of watching Home.
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