This groundbreaking film incites much reflection

T will be a long time before I forget the eyes of Meena (Anna Ben).

- SUDHIR SRINIVASAN

Hers is a stare of defiance, a stare at nothingness. When life and society leaves you unable to fight or argue, all that's left to do is stare. But Meena's isn't a stare of resignation. It's a stare that digs into you through time and space and asks questions of you even if she won't speak a word and has weaponised silence so powerfully. In this film about her apparent defeat, Meena gets small wins. Her stare of resistance. Her humming along to a song. Her drinking of a bottle of water. Her refusal to move out of a share auto. It's a gorgeous face that cannot smile, but i these brief moments, you see the mirth the face is capable of. Unfortunately, Meena's society and family don't deserve to behold it. There's a brief shot of her kind smile that, for me, is the best moment of the film.

Director PS Vinothraj has all these characters who serve different purposes, but the film's genius lies in how these characters never come across as cutouts crafted to serve objectives. Take Meena's nephew, for example—the only person oblivious to the events of the film. He's too young to understand.

And yet, it's impossible not to notice that the dangerous Pandi (Soori) might have been this boy at some point in his childhood. Without ever trying too hard, Kottukkaali gets you wondering when this boy might have transformed into Pandi. Was it when he witnessed abuse? Was it when he was told to behave like a man and keep women in check? When did the system get into his head? So, the question then is, who will ever put their hand up and refuse to succumb to the pressure and guile of the 'system'? Kottukkaali incites plenty of such thought.