Family is essentially a complex and frightening character study of an individual who is kind and helpful person, often volunteering to help people of his community with various tasks, and also mentoring young students to teach them mathematics. Yet, it is a searing exploration of the dual nature of his personality, one that is much darker and away from the public eye that eventually results in a startling tale of horror. The story here is nuanced and unlike something that you would expect in a universe like this. It coaxes the viewers to dig deeper with the ambiguity, while encouraging them to read between the lines on the actions of the protagonist, much of which either transpires behind the scenes or just about in the background of every scenes. The end result though is terrifying even while highlighting the role of the church and members of the community in safeguarding the secrets of an individual, given the high stakes involved. The screenplay standing at 110 minutes is a masterclass in screenplay writing, just because of its ability to provide no simple answers to the viewers, and often challenging them to read between the lines. This is also symbolic of the times that we live in, often failing to recognize our perpretrators, most of whom are present amongst us.

Written by Don Palathara and Sherin Catherine, The drama begins with the introduction of the protagonist who seemingly is the ‘perfect guy’. You often see him helping out the members of his community with different chores. This includes helping his aunt to cut jackfruit from the tree, helping to bail out a cow from a pit(dug up to trap a leopard, something that I shall be touching upon), or even mentoring young kids by tutoring them in their studies. The leisurely bylanes of Idukki compliment the sweeping narrative style although the community holds a dark secret, and almost protects the actions of the protagonist like a well oiled machine. Very early on in the film, there are references of a supposed leopard which would potentially attack the village, almost focusing on the pool of blood left behind the killing of a dog. Here, neither do you actually see the dog nor the leopard until the very end, but the threat remains large in the forest area of Idukki. The setting itself is representative of the drama here – the forest represents peace and tranquility, almost like the members of the community that seemingly live a peaceful life. But the deeper you venture in the forest, the threat of a leopard remains large, which is represented by the protagonist who is a leopard often hunting the sacrificial lambs of the community. And there is the third angle – the ambiguity of the drama wherein you don’t quite get to see the actual crime being committed(like you didn’t see the dog getting killed by the leopard). All of it though, accounts for a chilling representation of horror that has lingering effects long after the film has ended.

The proceedings unfold like a slow-burn while being delicately engaging and perfectly esoteric in nature. But the ambiguity of the setting is what also contributes to the traces of horror in the drama. For instance, in a scene you see the character of the father sitting and watching television even as his daughter is being taught mathematics by the protagonist in the background. The frame only comprises of the father sitting with the protagonist in the background but with no trace of the little girl who is implied to be sitting outside the frame. Soon, you see the protagonist scurrying towards her, almost sending a shiver down your spine. In a scene post that, you see the little teenager hiding behind the door, pretending to not be home even as the protagonist repeatedly rings the bell, only to be told that all folks have gone to the funeral(perhaps he did know that she was all alone). It is moments that these that are startling and infuriating, even as you witness the actions of the protagonists being discussed in whispers throughout the drama.

The drama is tactful in highlighting the equation that the protagonist shares with his brother too. Notice the difference in body language when the two are alone, and when the two are in a group. In another instance, you see the protagonist entering a room and lying next to a young boy. You don’t see the protagonist touching the child but the behavior of the child is enough to paint a haunting picture, that of the psychological decaying of the mind in the garb of a crime that he remains silent about. The drama is quick to highlight the roles of religion and the church, both of which are villanous byproducts in this universe, doing their bit to safeguard the reputation of the protagonist and the community. Clearly, the stakes are high even as committed sins are evaporated in the face of blind faith. In a latter scene, you see a pregnant lady being reprimanded for just about having a conscious, and speaking in whispers against the actions of the protagonist whom she had caught ‘almost’ red-handed. It is a win at any cost kind of situation for the church who is hell bent on silencing the people who tend to go against them(seems familiar?). And contrary to the big reveal that you expect it to be round the corner, the film provides no respite, raising the stakes at the end and painting an even more haunting picture that is worth a million nightmares! The screenplay is brilliantly penned here in every sense of the word.