Rorschach

Luke Antony comes to a town to look for his wife after she disappears. The search leads him to the Balan family. As Luke gets closer to them, strange and increasingly frightening things begin to happen around him. The film's real question is not where the woman is but what Luke came to do, and the narrative withholds that for a long time. Nissam Basheer's film departs from the revenge thrillers of Malayalam cinema because it does not try to make its central man sympathetic. Luke is quiet, calculating and hard to read; the camera follows him closely and still gives nothing of his intent away. Like the inkblot test it takes its name from, what the viewer sees is largely their own inference. Mammootty plays Luke, in what was counted among the most striking work of his late career. Grace Antony, Sharafudheen and Asif Ali are also in the cast. Who it's for: Viewers who like Malayalam thrillers, slowly unfolding revenge narratives, and ambiguous protagonists. Who it's not for: The violence is harsh and some scenes are disturbing. The first half is also deliberately confusing.