Anandabhadram

Santosh Sivan's 2005 Malayalam film follows Ananthan, who returns from America to his village to carry out his mother's last wish. He must light a lamp at the family temple, but a sorcerer who wants to seize the temple's hidden power will not allow it. Sivan is known as a cinematographer and the film's strength lies there. The forests of Kerala, the temple architecture and the night scenes are built through colour; the horror comes from composition more than from darkness. The narrative draws on local legend and traditions of sorcery and joins them to a thriller plot. Prithviraj Sukumaran leads and Manoj K Jayan plays the sorcerer. The rhythm slackens in places and the final section leans too hard on effect. Who it's for: those who like Malayalam fantasy and visually ambitious work. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a consistent mythology; the film changes its rules to suit the story.