Lift
RATING
Introduction
There was a strange incident that took place at my workplace years ago. I was stuck in an elevator for a good 15 minutes with a bunch of people before being pulled out. Although I didn’t feel it initially, now that I look back it was indeed a scary incident where anything could have happened. I am thankful to still be alive in what could have been a disaster! And with that I have just finished watching one of the leftover from last weekend, a Tamil film Lift on Hotstar. I was fascinated by its poster that did develop a sense of intrigue in me. So then, is the film worth your time, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Lift follows the story of a couple of colleagues whose day at work seems to be a usual routine until they are trapped in a lift with no way out. The story has an interesting premise with elements of supernatural horror that promises to be a cracker of a ride. But it is the screenplay and the execution or rather the lack of it that lets the film down. What starts off as an interesting premise soon fizzles out as it begins to resort to some stereotype jump scares which fails to evoke any sort of fear to the user. Also, films with such niche concepts should be kept short. Here, the screenplay standing at 135 minutes are quite long attributing to repetitive and elongated sequences that really should have been trimmed further. On the positive note, there are a few sequences that are engaging and do manage to hold your attention. The message at the end is a brutal reality and indeed a good one(having been a part of the industry for long now), the way it was incorporated in the plot was just half baked and it also lacked clarity towards the end. This would have been a good watch if the scenes were crisp and executed better. Overall, an average screenplay.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are adequate, nothing much to shout about. The music is average, the BGM is alright. The lighting was an issue here as most scenes were shot in the dark. Director Vineeth has done a decent job but he doesn’t quite nail it.
Performances
The performances by the two leads are good. Amritha Aiyer as Harini does a good job. Kavin as Guru also does a fine job. But it becomes a bit difficult for the two to rescue a wobbling screenplay.
Conclusion
Lift had an interesting premise but the lack of execution coupled with some wobbly writing makes it a lost opportunity. Available on Hotstar.