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June

Farhad Dalal
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
3.5 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

I am at an age where slice of life films do add a whole new meaning. Coming of Age films are always special. They are able to transport you back in time to the good old days – days which were tension free and hassle free and life wasn’t complicated back then. And while going through my watchlist, I came across the Malayalam film June which I hadn’t watched yet. One glance at the synopsis gave me a fair idea on what to expect. The plot seemed a little similar to the Malayalam film Hridayam which I had watched earlier this year and absolutely loved. And because this was a slice of life film about a coming of age story, it meant I was willing to take the plunge. So then is June worth your time, stay tuned!

Story & Screenplay

June is the coming of age story of a young girl from her teenage years to being an adult. The story is sweet and simple and it would potentially take you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The screenplay begins with the school life(as a part of the flashback) and that literally took me back to my school days. From dressing up on your birthdays to having fun in class, from preparing for school/college festivals and basically having a ball, all of it was shown pretty well here. Even a newly blooming romantic angle was introduced which again seemed very pure. The conflicts were simpler back then and it was more about where life would take us and whether the friends which we have made would continue to be by our side. All of this is beautifully shown.

But that is when life hits us and we and entangled in a bit of a mess whether it is in love or life in general. And that is accurately shown too. The problem which I felt here as compared to Hridayam was that the sequences felt slightly disjointed here. The half baked second romantic track did not help either. It was sweet while it lasted but somehow it did not reach its conclusion. The writing gave me an impression that it was a much longer and organic screenplay to begin with which may have been cut short in the final edit to suit its runtime. Because the final act too seemed very rushed something that Hridayam wasn’t and it always felt organic. But whatever was shown did evoke that sentiment of nostalgia and it was a sweet ride. Overall, a sweet little screenplay which has several heartfelt moments and is engaging.

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are sugar coated and never loud and they make for a pleasant viewing experience. The music is fabulous and the BGM blends well with the drama. It does give a fresh vibe to the story. I loved the meta-references of songs in that era(early 2000s) which were recited by the characters. Director Ahammed Khabeer who had later gone on to direct one of the sweetest films of 2021 Madhuram, did a pretty good job here. The core of the story did lie in its simplicity and he did an outstanding job with it. Probably a little more depth in the writing would have done wonders.

Performances

The performances are pretty good here. Sunny Wayne as Alex shines in a cameo. Nayana Elza aa Kunji, Raveena Nair as Fida, Sruthy Jayan as Maya and Margret Antony as Ann Mary all have a charming presence and have their moments to shine. Joju George and Aswathi Menon are splendid as June’s parents. Arjun Ashokan as Anand delivers a very heartfelt performance in a bit of an underwritten role. Vaishnavi Venugopal as Baldy looks pretty and does a great job. Sarjano Khalid as Noel is quietly charming and well measured in his performance. But it is Rajisha Vijayan who is absolutely brilliant as June. She infuses life into the character and takes you on a roller coaster of emotions.

Conclusion

June is a sweet little film which will take you on a sweet little trip down memory lane. Available on Hotstar.

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