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Jallikattu Movie Review

Jallikattu is a 2020 Indian Malayalam film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and starring Antony Varghese. It is such a kinetic, incredibly cinematic picture.

Kalan Varkey, a butcher, faces a lot of trouble when a buffalo he was supposed to slaughter goes astray and causes chaos in a remote village. All of the villagers then gather to kill the “beast”. This movie is a difficult, but important watch. And it goes so much further than your typical animal cruelty film, so let’s discuss it theme by theme.

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Yes, I saw myself easily siding with the poor bull. In fact, I honestly wished for it to kill all of the humans in the movie as it was more human than any human here. The movie showcases how little things have changed since the prehistoric era, and that is best accentuated in that truly powerful ending that visually shows us a parallel to the ancient times where humans killed animals and how similar that sequence is to the developments in this present-day flick.

So even though it is about animal cruelty and the brutality that humans still can inflict toward animals and how utterly unnecessary it can all seem, the film is also much more than that as it is above all else a strong indictment of the human kind and how in particularly males are still very much animalistic in their tendencies, especially when in a pack. The pronounced male rivalry and showmanship are ridiculed here superbly while in particular that pack mentality is painfully depicted and so realistic despite it seeming at first over-the-top.

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The characters aren’t amazingly developed, but there are some clear standouts. Antony Varghese and Sabumon Abdusamad in particular are memorable as Antony and the interesting Kuttachan. The acting is excellent and the characterization is solid despite at first seeming overly theatrical. This is how people in villages behave and seeing this side of India was devastating and very different from Bollywood period piece extravagant spectacles.

The movie truly gets how utterly stupid and even irrational people from smaller communities can be and how the gang mentality is the worst in small towns and villages. Again, some of this seemed too over-the-top, but mostly the film was realistic, and sadly so. If you ever wanted to hate your own kind, this is the perfect movie for you as, oh boy, does it make you hate humans as a species.

Jallikattu has one very fascinating thing about it and that is its genre approach and kinetic energy. Basically, it was framed as an action movie and that was the most inspired choice from the filmmakers that paid off in spades. None of it would have worked had it not been for the strong technical aspects and those are magnificent.

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The cinematography is brilliant, there is some imagery here that is difficult to erase from your memory, especially the villagers hunting the buffalo and holding torches. The score and sound are also great and the direction from Lijo Jose Pellissery is terrific. The movie’s energy is infectious and it almost seemed manic and otherworldly in its very heightened reality and atmosphere. It has that feeling where it seemed removed from your reality, but it’s almost totally believable as well. It’s truly a fascinating watch.

You will never hate your whole species more than while watching Jallikattu. Humans here are the animals and they are the brutal beasts that need to be feared. This Indian film isn’t just about animal cruelty, but it’s also about the intrinsically animalistic behavior of all males, even human males, and how pronounced and dangerous it can get when bolstered with mob mentality. It is over-the-top, but it’s also very much true. The movie presents this very heightened experience in atmosphere and visuals that is also kinetic and technically brilliant in its every frame.

My Rating – 4.5