Nitham Oru Vaanam

Ra. Karthik's 2022 Tamil film follows a withdrawn man living with obsessive behaviours after being left by his fiancee. Arjun enters other people's lives through two stories he reads, each the account of a different couple. The structure has three layers: a frame story with two episodes set inside it. One takes place in Ladakh, the other in France, and their tones differ. That structure scatters the film rather than enriching it; the inner stories are not sufficiently tied to the main character's change. Ashok Selvan leads. What the film does best is show obsessive behaviour without making a joke of it. The cinematography and the choice of locations are strong, and the music is an important part of the narrative. Who it's for: those who like episodic narrative and romantic drama. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a tightly built structure; the film cannot fully connect its three stories.