Synopsis: Poorni leads a dream of her life until she discovers her husband’s extra marital affair. Poorni’s reaction to the news further complicates things — she must now navigate guilt, grief, social stigmas, and the police.
Review:
There are certain films which completely rely on the emotions of the characters in driving the audience. This doesn’t mean that such films aren’t entertaining. Take Roberto Benigni’s ‘Life is Beautiful’. It’s the story of a Jewish man and his child who are imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. It’s a simple story and even a predictable one, yet we’ll remain emotionally invested until the very end. The mental agony of a father to save his child from the Nazis, and their soul-bound intimacy are the reasons for us to remain content. The psychological aspects (the X factor) along with the story, plays a predominant role in driving the audience.
Similarly, ‘Gentlewoman’ also utilizes the X factor to stir the audience’s emotions at various occasions. It’s a gut-wrenching tale of a young woman Poorni, who dreams of starting a beautiful life with her so-called cool partner Aravind (Hari Krishnan). Like every other woman, she takes charge of the kitchen to prepare delicious food for her husband. His fake love bombs now and then make her run an extra mile everyday. But, we also learn that she isn’t someone who would settle for less — validation isn’t the only thing she looks for; she also seeks-self respect.
There are certain instances in the film which place us in Poorni’s shoes. Like, along with her, we consistently see the two-faced nature of her husband. Be it the books he reads, the opinions he holds, or the way he behaves with the other woman, expose his dual nature. As soon as Poorni finds that Aravind has cooked real good food for Anna (Losliya), it causes immense distress for her — she has believed that Aravind cannot cook. Such scenes in the film show that what is considered ‘no big deal’ is actually a huge deal, and how it destroys the self-esteem of a person.
Speaking of Anna, she is another assertive female lead in the film. Unlike many other films which fail to address the difficulties in getting out of a relationship and overlook trauma bonds, Gentlewoman handles such aspects meticulously. The captain of the ship Joshua does not make her seem like an idiot, and instead, he shifts the focus onto the real culprit, Aravind.
At some point of the film, its subject becomes larger as it handles the matters from a systemic lens, moving far away from the individualistic point of view. The usual trend is this — if a man has an extra marital affair, then it must be the fault of women at the two ends — the woman didn’t do enough to satisfy her man, or the other woman must be a bitch. This patriarchal trend has always favoured men, eliminating the need to be accountable for causing severe distress. But, it feels content to realize that we finally have a film that addresses this by depicting the plight of two women, whose hands are tied down in the love triangle.
The success of an investigative thriller is decided based on how far it has kept the audience in the guessing game. But, there’s also another reason to its success which is the psychological and emotional aspects of the characters. Gentlewoman finds the right balance of these factors; its characters are elegantly crafted, and their decisions lead to plot twists. Moreover, its take on the patriarchal trend and uneven power share between two genders makes it a thought-provoking watch.
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