‘Her’ movie review: An uneven anthology made worthwhile by a couple of segments

‘Her’ movie review: In Lijin Jose’s five-film Malayalam anthology, the best one is the segment on an elderly couple, played by Prathap Pothen and Urvashi

Lijin Jose’s film Her is an anthology, but it is not strictly one. No clear demarcations exist between the five films in the collection, with one segment segueing smoothly into the next, although the characters and narratives are different. However, only two of the films are directly connected, while the rest have characters from other films popping in at some point to connect it all.

Five women from diverse backgrounds, going through personal struggles of various intensities, occupy the spotlight in Her, written by Archana Vasudev. One positive aspect of the film is that not all female protagonists are virtuous. There is enough space for the hypocrites and those with a bit of an abrasive character.

For instance, there is Reshma (Remya Nambeesan), a high-profile social media influencer who compulsively uploads videos about her everyday activities. But she does not live by the image she seeks to project on social media, like quite a few influencers. Some potshots can hit too close to home for the growing band of influencers.

Ruchi (Parvathy Thiruvothu), a senior IT professional, appears kind when she is in the right mood. However, when personal crises drive her up against the wall, she becomes mean to people around her, especially those from lower social status. Then you also see the kind of pressure and mental trauma that she might be going through, when her brother visits to give some friendly advice.

Lijin Jose, who made the masterful documentary 8 1/2 Intercuts on filmmaker K.G.George, has not been as effective with his feature film outings. But in Her, he hits slightly above what he managed with Friday and Law Point. The best of the lot is the segment on an elderly couple (Prathap Pothen and Urvashi) who seem to have not lost a bit of the romance of their younger days, until technology rears its head as a dampener. Although it rarely moves out of the feel good zone, the two veteran performers elevate the segment with their endearing portrayals.

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Some segments do not just land well enough as the narratives appear too forced or lacking enough conflict. Anamika (Aishwarya Rajesh)‘s segment is not effective enough as a standalone one, until it is satisfyingly tied up with another. In Abhi (Lijo Mol Jose)‘s segment, the narrative gets contrived to deliver a message. Maybe because of the long delay between the production and the release, parts of the anthology feel dated. That apart, it deserves credit for foregrounding women when they are often sidelined in mainstream narratives.