DVD Kanyaka Talkies

On paper, Kanyaka Talkies looks really good. An old single screen cinema in a remote and poor part of Kerala gets converted to a church. The impact the old 'talkies' theatre and the new church have on the lives of the main characters is the premise of the film. The characters are haphazardly developed and some of the scenes are very drawn out and could have benefited from tighter writing and/or editing. The elements of desire, lust, guilt and escapism all play their part but none are really explored properly leaving the viewer wanting. The light-hearted comic touches, e.g. the priest's scenes with the psychiatrist, are few and far between and seem at odds with the rest of the film. The last few scenes veer off into art-house territory, particularly the closing beach scene leaving you unfulfilled and guessing- that may have been intentional but it doesn't really work. Most of the actors are capable but suffer in what is a confused and clunky film.