Meiyazhagan

Arul, whose family lost their house and had to leave the town twenty-two years ago, returns for a relative's wedding. At the wedding a man recognises him, calls him by name and remembers everything about his childhood. Arul cannot place him and is too embarrassed to ask. Across one night he tries to learn the man's name. The film is not interested in a twist. It is interested in recognition itself: it consists almost entirely of two men talking through one night, and draws its tension from a single question. Why does this man care so much about Arul. The form is slow and warm: rural Tamil Nadu, field paths, a motorcycle, meals at night. For long stretches the camera shows nothing but two faces. C. Prem Kumar wrote and directed; he was known for 96, and the sense of return here comes from the same vein. Suriya's company joined the production and the film went to Netflix after its theatrical run. Arvind Swamy plays Arul, and Karthi the man whose name we do not learn for a very long time. Karthi's work carries the film. Who it is for: viewers who like Tamil cinema and slow, conversation-driven films. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace. It runs close to three hours and spreads a single idea across a very long time.