Vazhakku – The Quarrel (2022) Movie Review: A point that reaches a point, and points reaching a million other points – connection and constellations. At the point where an atom diversifies, the millennium regenerates. Fate circulates within the space and clenches into oblivion. The universe is beyond the earth’s circumference, where planets and outer space reciprocate, relieving us from the triumph of destruction. Beyond words and language lies a world that has been continuing the stabilization process without the intrusion of humans. While that is happening elsewhere, within a small dot of square feet on Earth lies a tale of absolute importance and marvel.
Every Sanal Kumar Sasidharan film has given us the exploration of a new substance in the filming world, where his expedition of direction has always brought out fresh sprouts of hope and the cultivation of art. Be it politics, freedom, or even the aptitude for understanding. Through thick and thin comes a connective tale of embarkment, whether from a relationship standpoint or a circular understanding of the gains and the losses, through different perspectives of the community.
Mr. Sanal places compounds of dominance and male masculinity through the characters as comparative matters while examining how these relatively significant elements can counter-react towards them in situations that change the perspective of humankind in this very era. The man who condemns can be a man who helps, and the woman who suffers can also be the woman who saves the entire situation. Sanal makes us wonder (in every film of his) about the perfect 5 W’s (Who, Where, When, Why, What) through his plot deliverance, the moment we feel something huge emerging from the back of the door.
Tovino Thomas, a representative of many of us, joins Sanal’s magic to make us understand the differences that can delineate a man in and out of love to sense how the bravest can be the one in and out of his life. It was a memorable performance, to say the least, as it brought out a different side of him in Sanal’s Vazhakku/The Quarrel. Sidarthan, a lawyer who has just cheated on his wife, wants his own space to get over his act of sin. Siddharthan gets into a heated discussion with his wife through a phone call that lasts for minutes. Here, we can discover the warped emotions shown by Siddharthan through his response and intonation, where he acknowledges his move yet has not entirely accepted his inner turmoil.
Not to mention the all-time excellent performance by Kani Kusruthi, who manages to be the magnet here. Her character Sathi is stuck in a non-peaceful marriage and challenged by her husband’s arrogance. The endurance of Sathi lies predominantly in her silence, which can evolve into something even more substantial. The more it generates, the heavier it gets. Heavier in the sense of realization and emotions, sincerely making us move like dotted lines on the pavement to follow the trails of how complex life can be when love is added into the equation of humans. Sathi walks while her body indicator dances with danger, a zombie with no possible joy. Her only leap of hope is her daughter, who can’t speak. Layers of circumstances canoe across the valley to ensure that fate arrives at the right stage, and that comes with a price. A price that might just be too hard to handle or too sharp to step away.
Be prepared for vengeance as well, as life is unpredictable. Another point of the exclamation by Sanal is to further grab upon the effects of constellations, where the position of stars changes and darkness comes full circle. The villain role played by Sudev Nair has been formulated to tick all the clichés of a perfect head gangster through his physicality and body language, which was foreseeable. However, it did match the output of the climax, which came abruptly to signal the path of the stars.
Selvaraj’s effective cinematography adds a little sunshine to blend the darkness with added clarity to focus right on the fear of the protagonists. There is a segment where we can see Siddharthan running towards Sathi to save her from suicide, which all happens within a matter of seconds, and there, the heartbeat doubles in frequency with no warning. Sanal counters his usual screenplay of engaging his viewers with the tranquil observation of nature by constantly accelerating the pace here. He uses a screen ripple to deliver a new form of viewing, more like a message and less of a direct shot.
Vazhakku isn’t just about a quarrel at a quiet spot in the middle of the Earth or a relationship advisory entry. It’s about how men of different backgrounds and professions can appear the same in various situations. It’s also about how words and actions can create a boastful impact on humankind and life without knowing that the presence of every one of us affects the life of someone we care about and a long-lost stranger somewhere. It can be a little girl who tells you everything silently or planets circulating the orbit with a cause. A cause that stops the direction of the constellations.
