Jo & Jo

Arun D Jose's 2022 Malayalam film follows a group of young people left with nothing to do in a village when schools close during the pandemic. Two friends who share a name, Jomon and Jose, try to fill that empty time, and an unexpected event changes all their lives. The first half runs as teen comedy and the pandemic detail is realistic; in the second half the tone changes entirely and the story becomes one of responsibility. That transition is abrupt for some viewers. Mathew Thomas and Naslen K. Gafoor work well together. The film's strength is showing consequences without blaming the young. Who it's for: viewers who like Malayalam films about young people and stories set during the pandemic. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a single consistent tone, or troubled by an abrupt change of register.