Rocky

Arun Matheswaran's 2021 Tamil film follows a criminal released from prison. Rocky is looking for his sister and wants to build an ordinary life, but old scores will not let him go and the violence resumes where it left off. What distinguishes it is the form. The use of colour is deliberately extreme, the editing irregular and the violent sequences held long; rather than meeting genre expectation the narrative chooses to build a state of mind. It is Matheswaran's first feature and was made on a low budget. There is little dialogue and the plot is simple; the weight is in atmosphere. Vasanth Ravi leads, with the director Bharathiraja appearing in support. Who it's for: those who like formally bold Tamil films. Who it's not for: viewers uncomfortable with graphic violence; the film aestheticises it and shows it at length.