Penguin - Movie Review

Penguin

Coming close on the heels of Ponmagal Vandhaal, the trailer of Penguin gave a glimpse of a colder and darker presentation of the whodunnit-whydunnit serial killer routine set against the same backdrop and, at the cost of sounding sexist, a female protagonist leading the front here as well. It certainly did pique the curiosity considering the relatively fresh crew behind the movie and the successes such films, like Maaya, Game Over, have had in the recent past. Staying true to the expectations, Penguin too, starts with an intriguing opening scene that quite sets straight what the Director has intended the mood of the movie to be. But this tone that the filmmakers so meticulously and successfully create, turns out to be a weak shoulder to carry the movie through.

The film revolves around a pregnant Rhythm (played by Keerthi Suresh), and her fight to protect her son, who had gone missing for several years, from the mystery person who is closing in on their trail again. A frailty prevails in Rhythm for the most part of the movie, as if the director is consciously trying to keep the proceedings sad. Even the flashbacks sets a grim narrative of the mother-son relationship, that rids of any feeling of longingness in the present for a happy past. The characters, either remain grossly underutilized or end up staying faithful to the cliches, like Rhythm's pet dog Cyrus. The flaccid expressions of the supporting actors does not help matters either and puts a heavy burden on the already sagging shoulders of the protagonist. More attention could also have been paid to the glaring dubbing issues at many places. 

The screenplay also suffers from a complete lack of continuity and leaves matters open ended in several places, in spite of certain scenes setting an interesting premise. Be it the scene when Rhythm discovers her son singing rhymes alone in his room with mysterious drawings strewn all over at night, where one expected a better insight into the boy's trauma in any of the following scenes. Or the Batman-esque treatment of Rhythm's paranoid fear of insects, though quite interesting, leaves very little impact. The slow pacing, though deliberately done so, did not provide any engaging or meaningful conversations. The rudimentary dialogues during the 'Interview' scenes stretched the movie's tediousness even further. Even the end reveal was underwhelming, not because it was expected, but it appeared tangential and disjointed with the rest of the movie. 

What worked for the movie though was the Cinematography, which captured the tone of the movie  quite brilliantly and the art direction and visual effects that complimented it very well. The background score did provide the required sensual texture overall, though at certain places it lends more melodrama than expected.

Overall, Penguin ends up as a sloppy feat.

Rating: 2.5/5