Kooman

Jeethu Joseph's 2022 Malayalam film is set in a hill village on the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A strict police officer transferred to the local station notices that a series of apparently ordinary incidents has something else behind it. The first half is given to building the mystery; in the second the narrative turns unexpectedly and the question becomes not who did it but why. Asif Ali's character becomes a completely different person midway through, and carrying that transition is the hardest thing asked of the performance. Jeethu Joseph is known for Drishyam and builds a similar structure here: small details acquiring meaning later. But this film is not put together as tightly; some of the clues are left hanging. Who it's for: those who like Malayalam thrillers and Jeethu Joseph's games with structure. Who it's not for: viewers wanting detective logic that holds from beginning to end; the film leaves gaps in its final section.