The Brutalist: I wonder if this was the longest movie that I’ve ever watched in a cinema. The movie was good but not great. After a month, thinking about it, only Felicity Jones’ character comes to my mind.
Day of the Jackal: Undoubtedly, the best thriller that I’ve watched in ages. I just love these sniper-movies. Must re-watch ‘Enemy at the Gates’.
John Wick and John Wick – Part 2: Mindless action. The perfect stuff to watch while working on long, tedious documents.
Ponman: These small budget Malayalam movies are fun to watch as they bring alive the culture and dynamics of tiny hamlets – in this case a Latin Catholic fishing community where the tentacles of the Church and Dowry hold a tight grip.
Officer on Duty: The thriller genre in Malayalam movies has been on the rise. This one was poorly scripted and so far fetched.
Mandi: Shyam Benegal’s Mandi was layered. Any movie centered on a brothel ends up showcasing the hypocrisy of the society that finds their presence problematic. This one was no different.
L’Histoire de Souleymane: The only movie that I managed to watch at the Habitat Film Fest. The movie reminded me of Hakim’s Odyssey. In this story of a Guyanese immigrant in Paris, what stood out for me was the portrayal of the French night shelters and state response to the complex problem of mass immigration.
Dil Chahta Hai: Rewatched this with the kids. Just realized that Dimple Kapadia – the ‘middle-aged’ woman who stole Sid’s heart was just 44! WTF
Empuraan: After Marco, this must be crappiest watch of the year. Random machine gun fire, helicopters whirring, and shootouts in exotic locales do not make a movie ‘global’.
Adolescence: Readers, if you have been shocked by this series, I must break the news that you haven’t been reading enough. The mental health crisis underway among teenagers has been documented and discussed in great depth over the past few years. Jonathan Haidt’s ‘Anxious Generation’ could be a good place to start. Also check out this earlier piece and this too.
Cast Away: Made the kids watch this. While rewatching it I realised that Kelly, despite being married and a mother of a child, acknowledging that Chuck, after all, was the true love of her life and kissing him goodbye for good, was the core message of the movie. It wasn’t just a tale of survival but also a ‘What if’ question we are left to ponder about.
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11 thoughts on “What I Watched – March 2025”