During the pandemic of the past few years, filmmakers were forced to turn to various innovative and creative means to create their vision. Employing technology from video conference apps to found-footage setups, the decision to utilize more of these filmmaking tactics as a result of their need to work around newly imposed restrictions has created a wave of intriguing projects in recent memory. Among these is former music video director Nirmal Baby Varghese who attempts the former tactic in his new effort “Vazhiye”, the first found-footage film in Malayalam cinema.
“Vazhiye” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Attempting to jump-start his channel, aspiring Youtuber Albin (Jeffin Joseph) decides to follow through on a story told to him about a mysterious land nearby. Taking his girlfriend Teena (Aswathi Anil Kumar) with him, the two head out to the local forest that all the stories center around and begin to document their experiences. As they spend the night there creating content for their latest video, they realize that the forest holds a darker secret than they expected that puts their life in jeopardy.
There's a lot to like with “Vazhiye.” Among the better features here is the traditional and formulaic set up by writer/director Varghese that introduces everything and sets the film off rather nicely. Introducing Albin's channel's content and the frustration at its lack of growth hints at the need to be spiced up with more appealing content. That also sets up the idea of the journey to the mysterious area nearby. None of this is particularly original or unique, but it nicely serves the function of getting the group out into the woods nearby, away from help. It's also helped along nicely by the constant check-ins with Teena and the gorgeous travelogue footage to create an impressive starting point.
That setup provides “Vazhiye” with some creepy moments once everything gets going. After arriving at the spot in the woods, Albin and Teena go hiking through the area, in a series of scenes that provide some immensely atmospheric sequences. These take on several impressive attributes, from the random walking through the woods filled with chirping bird calls to the fishing adventure, or the strange encounter with them inside the tent at night. These set the stage for the chilling finale to come. The twists and turns that emerge here are quite enjoyable, introducing the hunters and their quest to track down and knock off the various intruders, resulting in the frenetic chases to get away from everyone.
While there's a lot to like, “Vazhiye” also has a few issues. The main drawback here is the wholly unnecessary and outright confusing storyline involving the kidnappers in the story. They come out of nowhere with no build-up or proper introduction, have no proper plan spelled out for the whole operation, and waste large amounts of time. It comes about either through flashbacks showing them trailing Albin and Teena the entire time or stopping the film cold for a native dance performance that doesn't need to be there. With the formulaic setup also coming into play, these aren't completely detrimental but bring the movie down somewhat.
A highly-enjoyable found-footage effort that has more to like about it than flaws, “Vazhiye” comes off quite nicely as there are some big factors found here to overcome the minor issues. Those who appreciate the format or are curious about what's going on here would enjoy the film.
