rorschach malayalam movie review imdb

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The Movie is about Luke Anthony who has a mysterious past and is out on a mission to seek revenge from someone who has destroyed him deeply The Movie is about Luke Anthony who has a mysterious past and is out on a mission to seek revenge from someone who has destroyed him deeply The Movie is about Luke Anthony who has a mysterious past and is out on a mission to seek revenge from someone who has destroyed him deeply

• Nissam Basheer
• Sameer Abdul
• Grace Antony
• 60 User reviews
• 7 Critic reviews
• 1 nomination

• Luke Antony

• Head Cost. Ashraf

• Seetha Balan

• Dileep Balan

• Sophia Luke

• Sujatha's Mother

• Sujatha's Father

• Satheeshan's Mother
• Rasheed - Robber's Father

• Sainaba - Robber's Mother

• Insp. George

• SI P. Pisharody
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Lead cast Luke (Mammootty) reel surname and his reel wife Sujatha (Grace) real surname are same: Antony.
• Alternate versions The UK release was cut, the distributor chose to make cuts to scenes of strong violence, injury detail and threat in order to obtain a 12A classification. An uncut 15 classification was available.
• Soundtracks In My Arms Written by Sameer Abdul Produced by Midhun Mukundan Performed by Sameer Abdul

User reviews 60

• Mangalassery_Neelakandan
• Oct 9, 2022
• How long is Rorschach? Powered by Alexa
• October 7, 2022 (India)
• Official Facebook
• Mammootty Kampany
• Wayfarer Films
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• ₹120,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 30 minutes
• Dolby Atmos

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Rorschach Movie Review: Mammootty captivates in a refreshingly twisted gothic revenge thriller

Rating: ( 4 / 5).

A few months before the release of Rorschach , I had heard little whispers of its plot from a couple of industry insiders. I found the concept interesting, and I was curious not only to see how director Nisam Basheer -- who made his debut with the polarising Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha -- would pull it off but also how Kerala audiences would react to it. Now, I'm not someone who looks at the initial reactions on social media before writing a review -- because I don't want anyone else's opinions colouring my own -- so I'm not aware of others' Rorschach experience. I'm only sure of mine: fulfilling, not only because it tickled the film buff in me that loves an unconventional genre fusion but also because the makers have pulled it off without making it seem too inaccessible. Oh, and I promise not to spill any spoilers.

Director: Nisam Basheer

Cast: Mammootty, Grace Antony, Bindu Panicker, Jagadish, Sharafudheen

What is Rorschach ? Well, many things. Off the top of my head -- part revenge thriller, part gothic ghost story, part dysfunctional family drama, part dark comedy, and part crime noir... I might find more on a revisit. Anyway, it's incredible how all of these elements come well together in Rorschach ; but look beneath the veneer of genre-blending, and we see three different families with ideological and temperamental differences and an astonishing capacity for evil. By the time we get to the finale, most of these characters evolve into people they were not at the story's beginning.

In the opening scene, when Mammootty's Luke Antony walks into a police station and reports being in an accident and his wife missing, we and every character who comes into contact with him believe him. But we'll soon learn there is a much larger story behind it. Luke isn't hasty to tell it, and neither is the film. It wants to go at the same pace as him. It throws at us disparate images that at first glance seem disjointed, but if you're patient and attentive enough -- don't look at the phone and complain later -- everything will begin to make sense. You'll see the significance of some juxtaposition choices or why some scenes were so brief and sparse with the revelation of information.

I mentioned earlier about Rorschach being a portrait of families. The film gives us more information about them than it does about Luke, and I don't mean this in a negative way. The title ' Rorschach ' also makes sense once the end credits roll. Luke was on a mission, but his arrival also brought out the distasteful facets in some individuals. In that sense, its behaviour is similar to that of a Western. You know, the story of that lone mysterious stranger arriving at a small town to shake things up? 

In Rorschach , we learn about a family with a devilish streak running through them for generations. They carry it around like a curse. At one point, a mother declares that her children are her carbon copies and they are capable of everything she is. As this mother, Bindu Panicker gives us a profoundly unsettling performance that eerily recalls Jacki Weaver from the Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom. And there is Jagadish as a quietly functioning police constable whose true intentions, once evident, gives his character a whole new dimension. It takes a while for him to say something, but when he does, he makes you more curious. It's the most impressive I've seen the actor in a long time. 

The film's storytelling, too, reflects the idiosyncratic nature of its protagonist. Rorschach reveals information about Luke in an incremental fashion. Sometimes the film catches us off guard by simultaneously running past and present events from his life. There are films where this approach -- where no title card informs us which event is past or present -- failed miserably, but in Rorschach , it works perfectly. It's a classic case of relying more on visual storytelling than exposition. That said, the film has its share of moments where the characters say things that guide us, but at the same time, the script is careful not to say it all at once and ruin the fun. Just as he does with every character he meets, Luke taunts us until it's time for him to tell us what happened in his life and his plans. 

The only information we know about Luke initially is that something tragic has befallen him. And then we ask: Who is he? How can he fight so well? What's his interest in two particular families? Why does he want to live in a haunted house? Why is he using someone's skull as an ashtray? We get the answers, all in good time, but it also doesn't forget to keep some things open-ended. That's where the fun is, right?

Speaking of fun, for a film about unlikeable characters and tragic events, Rorschach is not overwhelmingly depressing -- at least, not for me. It seems to relish its dark energy and revel in its gothic environment, just like its leading man. And Mammootty plays Luke with a measure of mischief, creepiness, and daring that you begin to remember some moments from Vidheyan , Thaniyavarthanam , Bhoothakkandi , or Munnariyippu .

Cinematographer Nimish Ravi, who has already proved himself adept at working comfortably with dark subjects ( Luca, Kurup ), once again demonstrates his supreme abilities in Rorschach with a work that's remarkably not repetitive. He bathes characters in enough shadows and amber to make them seem like they are Satan's children. Blacks and greys dominate the colour palette, starting with Luke's luxury car. His residence resembles more of a grim mausoleum than a home -- like a sort of 'limbo' in which 'the man in black' can pronounce his judgement. 

I also found the choice of using English songs in the soundtrack -- by Midhun Mukundan, who recently worked on the brilliant Kannada gangster drama Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana -- refreshing. The makers' attempt at ignoring the usual tendency of having music "relatable" for Malayali/Indian audiences is admirable. Perhaps this choice suggests a character trait of Luke. What if these are his favourite songs? After all, we are in his world, aren't we?

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• ENGLISH HINDI MALAYALAM TAMIL TELUGU KANNADA BENGALI  

Rorschach Malayalam Movie

Director Nissam Basheer's Rorschach is an unusual Malayalam thriller, and I mean that in a good way. Right from the title to the music by Midhun Mukundan to the visual grammar of the film, Rorschach is unconventional for Malayalam cinema. Some may call it genre-bending cinema for the twists and turns in the plot that subvert cliches.

The protagonist of Rorschach is Luke Antony, played by Mammootty. Luke walks into a police station on a rainy night in a village and files a missing complaint for his wife. However, this is a man shrouded in mystery. The villagers wonder where he is from and whether he even has a wife. It does not take us long to realize that Luke is in the village with some ulterior motive.

Basheer explains how and why Luke is there through a series of flashbacks instead of an info dump, which makes the character that much more intriguing. We learn that Luke has been through white torture and that he is experiencing a deep sense of loss. He is a man on a mission who descends into madness slowly, yet steadily.

Most revenge thrillers focus a lot on the protagonist and the antagonist and include a lot of mano-a-mano moments between them, but some are more complex. Take a movie like Thazhvaram, for instance. In Thazhvaram, Mohanlal's character goes to a hill station to find the man responsible for his wife's death and kill him. The plot seems quite straightforward, but the execution is complex. Rorschach is similar in that it is straightforward in its plotting but complex with regard to its narration.

This means that the supporting characters here have a lot of depth and satisfying arcs. Sameer Abdul's layered script packs in potent themes, such as people with greed and single-mindedness who go to great lengths to achieve what they want. You have to pay careful attention to know why some people survive here while others fall by the wayside after the mayhem that follows the arrival of a stranger in the village.

As suggested earlier in the review, Rorschach has a visual language that is so out-there for Malayalam cinema. Rorschach is sometimes a bit showy in terms of how it is presented visually, but the overall output is fascinating. Take, for instance, the scene where a character puts a cigarette into a dead man's skull. Nimish Ravi's camera splendidly captures the eeriness of the moment and gives us a constant sense of foreboding that permeates the remote house at the heart of the plot. Even the scenes with a man in the mask have a visual grammar that gives an extra dimension to the idiom, "a ghost from the past".

If Rorschach has some holes as a thriller, it is probably because the aim here is to be as unconventional as possible. What makes the film more compelling is the performances. As Luke Antony, Mammootty is flawless in how he portrays a man consumed by obsession who slowly descends into madness. Kottayam Nazeer gets to showcase his acting chops as he aces the role of an elder brother with a sense of conscience. Grace Antony again excels in the role of a strong-willed woman who gets to make a lot of big calls. But the one who walks away with the film is Bindu Panicker, who is terrific as the mother in a family who molds her children into human beings with a similar thought process to hers.

onlookersmedia

Rorschach Movie Review: A cerebral, unique experiment

In a recent interview, Mammootty had spoken about how Malayalam cinema is always known for its experiments, and he pointed out the example of the State award winning ‘Aavasavyuham’, a fascinating genre-bender. Well, the megastar’s latest film ‘Rorschach’ is one such interesting fusion of genres. Mammootty deserves huge respect for his unending passion to shoulder such projects time and again.

‘Rorschach’, directed by Nisam Basheer, is completely in contrast to the filmmaker’s previous film ‘Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha’ (also his debut). It begins with Luke Antony (Mammootty) filing a missing complaint in a police station about his wife. The mystery element begins from there. Minutes into the film, one can understand that Luke is in this quaint, remote village for something else. He buys a house there and begins his trail. From here, the narrative sprangs quite a few spoilers, which is best experienced without knowing as much as possible.

Sameer Abdul’s story is something that has been successfully explored several times in world cinema. But it his wonderfully written screenplay that keeps the viewer interested all through the runtime. Nisam Basheer, rightfully, opts for a dark treatment. Literally, everything is dark in the film. The visuals, the humour, the characters and their motives.

Mammootty is terrific in his portrayal of a distraught, revenge-obsessed man. It is an absolute treat to watch him switch shades, particularly the grey portions. Despite being a star of such stature, Mammootty doesn’t show any qualms in portraying an immoral character. This is also a film that doesn’t celebrate the star. He doesn’t get a proper introduction shot. The film’s opening scene has him casually walking (without any slo-mo, or background music) towards a police station. There is no pointless mass moments. Though couple of action scenes seemed forced, it’s effective with some smart choreographed.

Mammootty is ably supported by a brilliant ensemble. Bindu Panicker gets the role of her lifetime and she proves her range as a performer. Kottayam Nazeer and Jagadish also show what showcase their true potential. Grace Antony, Sharafudheen and Sanju Sivaram also impress.

‘Rorschach’ is one of the most technically sound films to have come out of Malayalam cinema in recent times. Right from its absorbing cinematography and atmospheric sound design, everything is top-notch. Midhun Mukundan’s stellar music is one of the film’s major highlights. The choice to use English tracks is so refreshing and makes this film stand apart from the template Malayalam thrillers.

Overall, ‘Rorschach’ is a great theatrical watch if you’re in the mood to watch something ‘unique’ and ‘gripping’.

Movie Ratings

• Direction - 8.5/10 8.5/10
• Artist Performance - 9/10 9/10
• Script - 8.5/10 8.5/10
• Technical Side - 8/10 8/10

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'Rorschach' review: Mammootty's performance only saving grace in a below-average thriller

Nisam Basheer's film is confusing at multiple levels

A strange man comes to a village with a revengeful mind. The basic plot of Mammootty-starrer Rorschach is something that has been explored in world cinema multiple times. But a difference here is that the protagonist’s revenge is towards a dead man.

Rorschach is a confusing movie at multiple levels. It does not really fit completely into the boxes of either a psychological thriller or a horror thriller. There are some supernatural elements in the film. But the narrative did not help this writer to understand whether the presence of those elements can be attributed to the protagonist’s psychiatric issues. In other words, can the protagonist be seen as a person suffering from schizophrenia? The film does not answer it.

What the film’s title has to do with its plot or narrative is another question that came to the mind of this writer after watching the FDFS. Rorschach is a projective psychological test used by some psychologists to examine a subject's personality traits and emotional functioning. This writer failed to capture the connection this test (or the title) has with the storyline.

Mammootty is an actor who is not hesitant to take dark-shaded characters. In Rorschach , his character is literally in the ‘dark’ for almost the entire stretch of the film. There is injudicious use of dark colours. The colour scheme followed by Rorshchach is in such a way that every frame’s colour ends up feeling the same as every other frame.

Directed by Nisam Basheer—whose debut film was the problematic Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha —and written by Sameer Abdul, the scenarist of Iblis and Adventures of Omanakuttan , Rorschach felt like a wasted opportunity. The script offers some interesting characters, but it fails to apply ‘common sense’ at multiple places while exploring their actions and crimes. It leaves multiple loose ends in its narrative.

Even then, the film should be lauded for some fine performances. Mammootty excels as creepy, eerie Luke Antony. Senior artists like Bindu Panickar, Kottayam Nazeer and Jagadeesh also deliver great acting. Grace Antony and Sharafudheen should be appreciated for their controlled performance.

A major issue Rorschach faces is that its narrative does not help the audience to empathise with Luke Antony or the tragedy that he faced in Dubai. It also takes the approach of hiding the antagonist—Dileep— behind a mask, even though there have been multiple close-up shots that reveal who is the actor who played the role of Dileep. The cinematographer and director could have thought of a more imaginative way to portray the antagonist. The film fails to give depth to this particular character, around whom the entire narrative revolves around. It won’t be an overstatement to say that Dileep is one of the badly written characters in the script.

There are some stylised action sequences in the film. It also tries to explore mind games that people play. However, Rorschach lacks the pace demanded by its storyline (this writer had some occasional yawns while watching it). Overall the film was a below-average, boring experience for this writer.

Movie: Rorschach

Director: Nisam Basheer

Cast: Mammootty, Bindu Panickar, Kottayam Nazeer, Grace Antony, Sharafudheen, Jagadeesh

Rating: 2/5

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