Elipathayam

The scene is rural Kerala in the late 70s where only a handful of Nair families continued to live off the land bequeth to them over generations. Unni (Karamana Janardanan) is the head patriarch of once such family. A lion within his den and a sheep outside; he is completely dependent on his younger sisters Rajamma (Sharada) and Sridevi (Jalaja). As society around him changes and rats run amok in his tharavadu , Unni tries to hold to his old ways and views. A film that shows the twilight of a society with sparseness that is characteristic of Adoor.

This is a flick that sent shivers down the spines of most Malayalees during the 80s because it was an "art" film by Adoor. It was supposed to cause death by boredom. I remember watching it my teens and secretly enjoying it. The decades in between have not taken the sheen away from this movie. A brilliant film with some mind blowing acting.

Rating: * * *