Putham Pudhu Kaalai

This 2020 Tamil film consists of five short sections by five different directors. All are set during the pandemic lockdown, and the characters, unable to leave their homes, are forced to face one another. The sections differ in tone. One follows an elderly couple long out of touch, another strangers shut in the same house, another an old matter inside a family; what they share is the narrowing of space. Because they were shot under lockdown conditions the crews are small and the locations limited. The stories rest largely on dialogue. Sudha Kongara, Suhasini Mani Ratnam and Karthik Subbaraj are among the directors. Who it's for: those who like short film collections and are curious about different directors in Tamil cinema. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a unified film; the sections are uneven.