Sillu Karuppatti

Halitha Shameem's 2019 Tamil film consists of four separate stories, each set in a different age group: a boy who collects scrap, a woman undergoing cancer treatment, two young people forming a connection online, and a couple married for many years. The sections do not connect; what they share is a curiosity about the forms love takes. The film's best decision is using no grand gesture anywhere; the relationships advance through small details and none reaches a dramatic peak. The cancer section drew the most discussion; it tells of a closeness built around hair loss and body image, and the film presents it as neither tragedy nor triumph. Most of the performers are unknown. Who it's for: those who like episodic narrative and quiet romantic drama. Who it's not for: viewers who want to commit to one story; the four sections are independent of each other.