Thalavattam

A Malayalam film set in a psychiatric institution. Vinod loses his girlfriend in an accident during a concert. The event breaks him; he does not speak, does not remember, and is admitted to an institution. The regime there is strict. The patients follow a schedule, medication is given on time and the doctor's authority is not questioned. Vinod becomes the one who disturbs it: he makes friends with the other patients, bends the rules and starts a kind of life in the ward. At the same time he is recovering. With the help of a young doctor his memory comes back, and a relationship forms between them. The doctor who runs the institution objects. The film does not present the patients as figures of fun; most of the characters in the ward are given their own stories. Moving between humour and drama is the method of the narrative. The production carries traces of an American film on the same subject and of earlier Indian examples. Mohanlal plays Vinod; Nedumudi Venu and M. G. Soman are in the cast. Priyadarshan directed. A strong example of its period for anyone who likes Indian cinema and stories set inside institutions. Before you watch, know this: the film starts like a comedy, but its ending is heavy and brings no relief.