Assi – Review

Disclaimer: My family is acquainted with a member of the crew.

Very rarely does a film make you want to pick a favourite directorial moment.

The gut doesn’t wrench. You are watching a rape on screen. Even if not explicit, it is in quite some detail and relatively long. And yet, it doesn’t chill the spine. No, it’s not because the film isn’t well-made. To the contrary. It’s because how normal it has become to read/watch news items about the film’s topic, rape. That is exactly the point of the film…rape is being normalised and being called a culture. And this point, the movie makes repeatedly and yet, effectively.

Rape is common. Our blood boils at the thought. But when it comes down to us and our systems, are we doing enough? Are we even asking the right questions? Assi wants to make this point. That too, without lecturing us too much. It engages well and prods us to introspect as a society with philosophical questions. It also goes ahead and craftily breaks the concepts into chewable bite size thoughts without necessarily over-simplifying it.
Some of its understated statements are remarkable. The one that treats a rape like a funeral will stick with me for a long while. And then there were the very enjoyable death stares between Raavi (Taapsee Pannu) and Judge Vasudha (Revathy), some even in the background.

Another power move was to not offer solutions. It points out what it thinks is the wrong direction to go. The arguments to and for some solutions have a living-room-debate quality about them. But, they work because they are short. They make the point and get out of the way.

Surprisingly then, the one thing that bothered me in its final take is that it was too subtle about the core problem. It never directly points out the real problem. It doesn’t clearly state why it thinks we are where we are. It surprised me that I wanted it to tell a little more after all it showed. I recognise that that is me requiring that of the makers as a part of society. To be a well-made, well-written film though, they have done their bit to bring out what they want to say. The rest they want us to answer for ourselves. And this maybe where me being a woman comes into play. I don’t want the message to be left to the audience “getting” it. Maybe that’s why I liked the movie as much as I did—I am okay with it being my voice and speaking louder.

Otherwise, the movie is strewn with mature lines. And it is “just right.” Anything more, quantitatively or qualitatively, and it would have felt overwritten. Many of the characters are perfect shades of grey too. That is true of the ones always trying to do the right thing having a believable violent and/or corrupt streak. Sames goes for some villainous characters who have a human vein, even if slight.

Of course, this is thanks to A-Z great performances. To name even the leads without naming the entire acting crew seems unfair.

…craftily breaks the concepts into chewable bite size thoughts without necessarily over-simplifying it.

In fact, but for the first half hour or so of the film, the film’s writing delivers on all counts. Sequences are well-paced and flow smoothly. It is only the context setting in the beginning that felt a tad rushed as if they wanted to get to the main point of the film with the least amount of detail. For instance, it bothered me till the end that these seemingly one-time offenders and their support system knew way too well about how a cover-up can be managed. Assi doesn’t even spend too much time on the chase. And these seem like deliberate calls. Some might not have worked for me, but others did. And how.

Very rarely does a film make you want to pick a favourite directorial moment. Here, I am oscillating between the regular reminder—a genius way to break the fourth wall; and the delivery of the expected monologue—the decision to lay bare the hapless frustration instead of taking the usual “holier than thou” approach.

– meeta, a part of the audience