'Anomie’ movie review: Bhavana steadies an uneven psychological thriller
Bhavana delivers a powerful and restrained performance as Zaara Philip, a forensic surgeon whose professional detachment contrasts with the emotional turmoil surrounding her.
Bhavana delivers a powerful and restrained performance as Zaara Philip, a forensic surgeon whose professional detachment contrasts with the emotional turmoil surrounding her.
Bhavana delivers a powerful and restrained performance as Zaara Philip, a forensic surgeon whose professional detachment contrasts with the emotional turmoil surrounding her.
After a long association with breezy, light-hearted roles, Bhavana returns to Malayalam cinema in darker territory with ‘Anomie,’ a psychological thriller directed by debutant Riyas Marath. The film begins on a promising emotional note and traces the bond between two siblings forced to reckon with personal loss. A disturbing incident upends their fragile equilibrium.
Bhavana plays Zaara, a fiercely protective sister trying to shield her younger brother (Shebin Benson) from the emotional fallout of their parents’ death. These early passages are the film’s strongest. It is anchored by Bhavana’s controlled, empathetic performance. However, as ‘Anomie’ gradually pivots into a mystery-driven narrative, its writing begins to lose focus. What might have worked as a restrained psychological study instead stretches itself thin by leaning too heavily on familiar thriller tropes.
The film flirts briefly with an exploration of depression and its stigma. It handles the subject with sensitivity at first. Yet this nuance soon gives way to narrative convenience and reduces a complex emotional condition into a plot device meant to service the central mystery. Similarly, the sibling bond is carefully established in the opening act. But it recedes as the film shifts attention to a procedural thread involving a troubled police officer, played by Rahman. He is seeking professional redemption.
Despite these structural inconsistencies, ‘Anomie’ remains intermittently engaging. One should thank, largely, its performances and technical polish. Bhavana delivers a committed comeback turn and balances vulnerability and resolve with assurance. Rahman brings a measured calm to his role and lends the film a degree of stability when the narrative wavers. Vishnu Agasthy and Shebin Benson provide dependable support.
On the technical front, Sujith Sarang’s cinematography adds visual clarity and mood. The background score by Harshvardhan Rameshwar heightens tension effectively. The use of English tracks lends a contemporary texture that suits the film’s psychological bent. ‘Anomie’ ultimately follows a familiar genre path but falls short of its initial emotional promise. Still, strong performances, particularly by Bhavana, and assured technical craft ensure that the film remains watchable.