Summer in Bethlehem

Sibi Malayil's 1998 Malayalam film opens on two friends living on an estate in the hills. A retired colonel arrives as a guest with his daughters, and Ravishankar sets about working out which of them has been sending him love letters. The plot rests on misunderstanding. Several possible couples gather in the same house and the narrative leaves who loves whom open until the end; the humour comes from that uncertainty. Suresh Gopi, Jayaram and Manju Warrier take the principal roles. It follows the standard template of late-nineties Malayalam family films, foregrounding music and hill scenery. The narrative turns to unexpected sadness in its final section. Who it's for: those who like classic Malayalam family comedy. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a dense story; the film is long and its plotting loose.