Aattam follows the story of a theatre group wherein their sole female member is subjected to a heinous crime from one of the members of the group. A meeting is called in, and thus begins a night full of suspicion in a social whodunnit laced with a powerful commentary. The story here just about borrows the template of a group of men stacked in a place from the film 12 Angry Men while providing a refreshing spin-off of its own. There are layers and layers to be discovered in a drama that is supremely gripping and doesn’t allow your attention to waver even for a second. The screenplay standing at about 140 minutes is tense and brooding with multiple twists and turns as the vested interests of the characters come to the fore as the can of worms begins to open, thus forming a compelling narrative. 

Like is the case with all Malayalam films, the world building and the characterization takes precedence. You are tactfully introduced to the theatre group and its members while being almost a fly on the wall. You are observant of the behavior of the crew, more so because you as a viewer are unsure of the baggage that they have been carrying. The question though pops up bery early on in the film(even by one of the characters interviewing the director) – why does the play have only one female character? The play itself was representative of the prevalent patriarchy in the society although not in so many words or forms. The success of the play prompts the crew to party at a nearby resort and that is when a heinous incident takes place – their female co-star is groped. In between, you further get a glimpse of the characters and the dynamics that they share with each other backed with stray events that would act as clues in the subsequent acts(so you need to be attentive). 

The proceedings are thoroughly engaging and engrossing particularly after all men assemble under a single roof to zero in on the perpetrator who is initially made quite clear with the catch being that the actual incident(of the actor being groped) is never shown onscreen. There are assumptions and arguments provided along the way with the men divided on the verdict. But as the arguments unfold, you get a sense that none of them are actually interested in the truth but interestingly, have their vested interests in check so much so that neither of them nor their group wish to get into any kind of trouble. Firstly, the point to be noted is that all characters are actors and so that itself is a meta-layer to the screener(given that the actual perpetrator was putting up an ‘act’ to safeguard himself). Secondly, the idea of a group of men taking a decision for a woman who happened to be a victim was also a strong case of patriarchy that is prevalent in our society. 

The twist in the tale occurs in the form of an opportunity that begins to sway the loyalties of the group particularly given the humble background of each artists. But there is jealousy in play as well from one of the characters who wishes to take the lead role mantle. And thus, the course of narrative shifts towards the woman wherein the group decide to convince her to reach a conpromise. This is well represented through the weather that starts off as sunny but soon turns wet with the rain around. And amidst all the chaos, one of it involving sufficient doubt of the perpetrator’s supposed involvement, the crux of the issue remains unanswered. And the final act is testimony to this sentiment that somewhere, all men are responsible for the fate of women, at times because we all keep quiet. But the writers infuse hope in the form of the woman character writing and directing the play based on these events. The screenplay is supremely engaging and extremely powerful, overall!