Gentlewoman Movie Review: Lijomol and Losliya drive a superb slow-burn drama rich in social commentary and moral ethics

3.5/5

Gentlewoman Movie Plot:

Arvind (Hari Krishnan) is an LIC employee who lives with his wife Poorni (Lijomol Jose), a traditional stay-at-home woman. Juts three months into their marriage, Arvind and Poorni might seem to live happily even as he has patriarchal control over a subservient Poorni. But a certain incident unveils Arvind’s other side to Poorni. What happens to the couple later? Things get murkier when Anna (Losliya Mariyanesan) comes in search of Arvind.

Gentlewoman Movie Review:

For most, the hesitance or scepticism of doing something may be a bigger obstacle, over knowing or not knowing about being to do it. In Gentlewoman, overcoming the scepticism and shifting gears (literally), Poorni, who stays away from driving car despite having drove tractors, back parks her husband’s car in one swift go and precision. This comes right in time when Poorni must take charge of situations and she goes for it. Gentlewoman is a powerful commentary, which brilliantly makes space for pockets of dark humour and dabbles on moral complexities, in a very subtle but substantial way.

Also read: Losliya Mariyanesan Interview: 'Gentlewoman has pushed my limits as an actor more than three films...' 

In Gentlewoman, which takes the effective slow-burn way, to setup its characters and the aftermath, we are shown Arvindh and Poorni leading a life in their apartment. But debutant director Joshua Sethuraman packs in lots of details to show the equation between them. Arvind is not your typical alpha male who commands respect either through shouting or violence, but he isn’t a man of equals either. His patriarchy is rooted to nonchalance that comes with acknowledging privilege and choosing when to use them. Which is why he thinks Poorni or her distant relative are bound to serve him from the kitchen and make them believe he does not know how to switch on the stove. But offers to make coffee or even barbeque to women he wishes to please, be it his neighbour Nancy or the woman from his past, Anna. Arvind is not a man of ignorance either. He knows when to win over a woman and when he can be lethargic for them to win over him, and we are told this by when Arvind chooses to tell ‘love you’ to women in his life.

Also read: Director Joshua Sethuraman: 'Gentlewoman is not a feminist film' 

The film takes a pacier route once Arvind’s disappearing mystery gets out of the apartment, and Anna comes searching for him. It is easy to villainise Anna, who appears to be strong and independent artiste, as the ‘other woman’. But Joshua makes sure the audiences’ empathies lay with the women. For he comes from the school of thought that it is not the actions of a person, but the incident that are responsible. The second half easily belongs to the subtle but strong social commentary that Joshua makes by taking it the police investigative route. For the saree-clad, married, calm, and homely Poorni, and for the unmarried, outspoken, and modern-dressed Anna, the police treatment differs, but the results appear the same. Because women are women after all, from the eyes of a man. Gentlewoman does not have to use blood-shed and violence, even in its goriest moments, for it has larger scheme of violence to show what women have to endure. The pockets of humour that comes along with the cop probe, the idea of coming from one’s place, the moral complexities of love lasting beyond legalities, can be interpretated in different ways, and that makes Gentlewoman a conversation-starter about a barrage of issues that riddle the modern-day relationships.

Gentlewoman gets many things right, first and foremost being its casting choices. Lijomol and Losliya might be the stereotypical casting for their respective roles, but the film makes an argument for it and eventually wins. Lijomol easily gets to the do heavy-lifting and it works brilliantly to the film’s favour. Hari Krishnan and Losliya who might have lesser portions as compared to Lijomol, still bring their A-game on, when their performances carefully build up to the slow burn thriller.

Gentlewoman Movie Verdict:

Gentlewoman, much like its title, goes calm on its execution and writing choices, but makes a strong and powerful commentary on patriarchy, moralities, and choices that women make to be on in this society. Joshua Sethuraman is carefully aided by a powerful cast, and production team, to make an impactful slow burn thriller drama that not only engages you, but also think without pushing ideologies into your throat. A good film, does not have to spoon-feed, and Gentlewoman beautifully embraces that idea to make you do the thinking for it leaves you with an experience worth of time.