JOJI (2021)REVIEW

By Jeevan P.

Joji is another brilliant, debate-worthy film about oppressed characters from the enviable imagination of Syam Pushkaran and director Dileesh Pothan. It’s the duo’s darkest film yet. Every character has a weakness, and they do stupid things out of fear. 

Unlike his elder siblings, Jomon Panachel (Baburaj) and Jaison Panachel (Joji Mundakayam), it’s Joji Panachel (Fahadh Faasil) who seems to be the most oppressed of the children of PK Panachel (Sunny PN).

The cold, stifling atmosphere of the Panachel home hasn’t spared Jaison’s better half Bincy (Unnimaya Prasad) either. There is so much toxicity in the air that you might as call it a ‘house of horrors’. 

There’s a lot of pleading in the film.

You sense this tone whenever someone asks permission to do something, apologises for someone else’s behaviour, or even when blackmailing somebody. We sense the distance not just between the children and the father but also between each other. It is felt even when they are sitting next to each other. The Lady Macbeth of this story is Bincy.

An ally of Joji in spirit but not in action, Bincy’s presence has an unsettling quality.Overall this movie is an outbreak for mollywood film industry. A cinephile should definitely watch this gem.