Something Something Like Love review: A simple anthology dealing with strong emotions of love

3/5

Story:

What is love? Surely, the answers by different people are not going to be alike. The concept of love varies from person to person. Something Something Like Love, the anthology streaming in ManoramaMAX, explores this concept with an uneven, but feel-good anthology, comprising six narratives on love. Each story handles a different theme on love, which includes teenage romance, casual relationships and homosexuality. They explore different dynamics of relationships, which our society fails to accept often. Even the situation of ‘falling out of love’ is portrayed convincingly and humbly in the series, which is an eye-opener. The anthology is helmed by Shahabas C A and written by Parvathy Madhu, while the cinematography is handled by Arun Gopinath. 

Review:

Mounam Anuragam

The 26-minute long story portrays the growth of a warm bond between two married officemates. Meera (Nilja K Baby) and Vivek (Hakkim Shahjahan) develop a support system for each other and find it comfortable being in each other’s company. The narrative is simple and does not support any views on male and female companionship, it normalises the human nature of wanting a bond, other than their family or love life. 

The performances of the lead pair seem to be warm and soothing, which blends well with the storyline, with no unexpected twists or turns, but a smooth climax.

Nenjukkul Peythidum aa Mazhai

The teenage romance is always colourful, and so is this sequence. Sera (Nazlin Salim) and Amal (Rahul RMR) portrayed the roles of two typical teenage students, who need nothing serious, but a companion who is full of life. The story is predictable and the team has tried to convey the flaws of the teenage infatuation and relationships on the surface. It does not explore the characters in depth. 

The performances of the pair could have been better as they did not bring forth what they intended to convey. Many ideas were incomplete and slightly contradicting like the idea of the female lead who initially seemed to be not interested in relationships, suddenly changing her mind for no good reason. Yet it can be overlooked to some extent as the story is based on teen time, where one struggles to figure out what they want in life. 

Endings and Beginnings

The concept of ‘falling out of love’ is portrayed along with decent performances by the lead pair Sana (Raveena) and Aadhil (Sanju Sanichen). The married couple soon realises that things are not working out between them, and they decide to separate. The troubled married life might be due to multiple reasons which are not clearly shown, yet it is convincing that they don’t belong together. This drama has an open ending that could be interpreted in various ways like the end of their relationships, the beginning of a new phase for both, in which they may again end up with each other. 

Both the lead actors have done their best to play the disappointed couple. The helplessness of both the characters is excellently presented by them, which will make anyone empathise with their situation. The cinematography and direction are quite decent, though there are no extraordinary scenes or shots. 

An Old Young Love Story

This sequence normalises a popular taboo which our society is reluctant to accept - finding love in old age. The story showcases two old people falling in love and marrying each other, proving how easy and possible it can be, and that love is not defined by age. Balu and Bhanu (C Narayanan and Archana Menon) together make a beautiful couple, who look for nothing but love and companionship. 

The realistic and very mature performances of the lead pair have brought perfection to the short movie. The actors have handled the role without being overdramatic but bringing out the emotions of an old age couple in a balanced manner. The lead actress deserves a separate appreciation for the in-depth portrayal of a strong-opinionated woman, who knows what she wants in life.

25 Days of Love

This sequence handles the concept of a casual relationship between Medha (Raveena) and Tejus (Sidharth Varma). The well-known writer female lead falls in a short-term relationship with one of her fans, by clearly setting the boundaries. It tries to explore different perspectives of human relationships, which could not be put under any guidelines. 

The performances of the pair are natural and appealing, making the short film worth a watch. The cinematography makes the romance look magical. The soft background music blends well with the story. The direction can be lauded for this short film, especially for including close-up shots of the actors that captures their emotions aptly.

Love is Love

The queer love story is a decent narrative with quite realistic performances of the lead pair played by Margret Antony and Anjana Babu. Without making any serious proclamation or an intense statement, the sequence simply shows the innocent emotions of two girls, who are attracted towards each other. It includes confusions, rage and also warmth, but at the end, the movie ends on a simple note, just like the title suggests, ‘Love is love’.

The actresses managed to emote the characters realistically even though the dialogue delivery was not up to the mark. A serious topic seems very simple and easy in the short film, which shows the script writer’s ability to simplify the motifs. 

Verdict:

The standalone tales in the anthology take you through a subtle roller coaster of emotions. Though it doesn’t portray anything upbeat or with masala, it is sure that the characters will make you feel loved and will leave a warm imprint in your heart after the watch.