​Story of Things Review: ​This novel and ingenious anthology plays with the human psyche​ and makes for a gripping watch

3.5/5

​Story: Inanimate objects in the life of people seem to come to life, some for the good, and some send a chill down the spine

Review: What happens when objects around you begin to 'behave' strangely? And what if they help unburden a guilt, heal old wounds and provide a reason to live? Director George K Antony's supernatural series Story of Things explores the human psyche when objects around them become a character of sorts and begin to play a crucial part of their lives. Sony LIV's latest five-part anthology gives life to inanimate objects around us, be it a weighing scale, a mobile phone, a car, compressor or a mirror, which we would not give a second thought or look at on a regular day (with maybe a mirror as the exception). But in Story of Things, they almost provide a life-changing experience.

Take for instance, the first episode titled 'Weighing Scale', where an aspiring actor and fitness and weight-conscious Ram (Bharath) freaks out after stepping on to the weighing scale that comes along with his late grandmother's belongings. Here the episode focuses on emotional guilt. And when he puts the life of a poor man in danger, to get hold of a lifetime opportunity to work with one of the leading directors of Tamil cinema, the weighing scale reaches the zenith. On the other hand, his friend Titus (Linga), who empathises with the poor man and wants to help him, gets rewarded for his conscience.

The sophomore episode Cellular Phone starring Aditi Balan as Vannamayil and Gautami as her mother, too, rides the emotion of guilt. All is well with Vannamayil and her controlling mother, until one day she misses her call. The director has given the episode a supernatural twist that sends a shiver down the spine. The episode makes you jump from the seat towards the end.

The third episode Compressor starring Ritika Singh as Shruthi and Roju as Ragu, too, revolves around guilt. When Raghu gets hold of a wad of cash, he and his live-in girlfriend decide to bring home a compressor. But, things go out of hand, when Raghu goes missing. Though the director tries to push the envelope with this one, this episode falls a tad flat when compared to the rest. 

The episode Car has Britto (Shanthanu Bhagyaraj) playing a nervous and under confident youngster raised by an abusive father (Siddique), who uses his car as a means to escape from his father during this childhood days. Later, it's in the same car that he regains his confidence, courage and the will to live.

The Mirror is one of the highlights of the series and it seems like the director wanted to save the best for the last. Here, we meet a heartbroken Sethu (Vinoth Kishan) who moves to an old house where he begins to interact with a child named Nazia through a mirror in the attic. The duo develop an unlikely friendship and though it initially scares him out, soon Nazia's interaction provides him a new lease of life. This episode also ends up as a heartwarming one among the five.

What's interesting about this anthology is that it doesn't have the regular archetypes of a supernatural thriller. There is no eerie background noise or gory scenes that give a fright. All it does is play with the human psyche with the objects as the medium. And it does the trick pretty well. The stories are consistent in their tones despite dealing with completely different objects. However, at certain times, it feels like the director has stretched the episodes a tad too long. But the fact that the director has come up with such a unique concept deserves a kudos. And needless to say, the star cast, cinematography, music and editing, together have come across as a neat package.

Verdict: Watch it for its unique concept