Ela Veezha Poonchira

Shahi Kabir's 2022 Malayalam film takes place at a small wireless police post on a hilltop. Sudhi and Madhu are the two officers on duty there, far from any settlement, with the monsoon rain going on and almost nothing to do. When word comes that a woman's body parts have been scattered across the nearby land, the investigation falls to them. The film takes its tension less from the case than from the place and the relationship between the two men, with fog, darkness and the absence of communication as its main elements. Sudhi's own past and the secrets he keeps at the post open slowly, and the mystery turns on character rather than on a murder inquiry. The cast is small, the film short and there is almost no music. Who it's for: viewers who like slow thrillers and Malayalam cinema. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a fast crime film; this one is built on waiting.