This movie is so gimmick free, yet so dense and absorbing. Watching the movie late night would feel like watching a kathakali performance live.
Aravindan is my favorite movie director of all time. If I had to list my top three, Aravindan would figure. It has been a while since I have re-watched any of his movies. Watching "Marattam" now just re-established his stature as the best of the best in my mind.
The movie has layers of surreal tracks. The structure of the script is itself a piece of art. The script is based on a short story by Kavalam Narayana Panicker, a who is who in the artists genre in Kerala, which probably explains why the script essence is so masterful and universal.
The movie uses stage performances to convey the story. Various dance forms are used to flow through the story layers. And all the artists were real artists. Not actors acting as artists, which reflected in the quality of the plays. Their expressive eyes, studied movements, all had a mastery all through.
The stage performances are accompanied by ear catching ethnic songs with nostalgia evoking vocals and tunes. The movie can be heard through and enjoyed just as well.
Of course, you need to be sitting with a "kathakali" watching mindset. This is not a typical movie at all. It can seem like just a string of stage performances. However, the narration of the theme through these stage performances is very well engineered.
All of the actors have done exemplarary work. These artists have arguably been through much more intense training than movie actors and that reflects in the movie.
Ethereal natural scenery has always been an attractive element of Aravindan's movies. As I watched the credits, I realized that the man behind these amazing photographs was the legendary photographer N L Balakrishnan.
Having recently watched the movie "Trance" with great anticipation, the quality of layering and surrealism that "Marattam" brings forth more than matches the expectation that "Trance" had failed miserably at.
Aravindan has most likely not seen anywhere near as much wealth as the box office focused film makers. However, like Keats said "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever". Each of Aravindan's movies has that quality.
