Attention Please Review…a daring movie!
Year: 2021
Genre: Psychological, Mystery, Friendship, Thriller
Cast: Vishnu Govindhan, Anand Manmadhan, Sreejith, Jobin Paul, Jicky Paul, Athira Kallingal
Director: Jithin Issac Thomas
Writer: Jithin Issac Thomas
Cinematographer: Himal Mohan
Summary: Hari is an unemployed scriptwriter living with his 4 housemates; things take a very dramatic turn when he starts narrating a series of disturbing stories
Overall Rating: BBQ 
Attention Please was such a daring movie that gave us A LOT to ponder about and we don’t think we’ll even be able to discuss everything in this review. The movie succeeded in making us very uneasy as we didn’t know how the scenario would unfold, was it going to be gory, profane, or violent? Many congratulations to Jithin Issac Thomas, his team, and the actors for believing in this screenplay and bringing something new to the table
As Attention Please calls for special attention to examine it properly, we’re gonna have a different review format today.
One important note, you have to be a little patient to appreciate this film because it’s presented in an unorthodox manner. There are only 6 characters and the entire narrative is situated in a house over the course of a few hours; the movie heavily relies on sound effects in order to vivify Hari’s stories
SYMBOLISM: It’s always a pleasure when a film uses symbols to send messages and Attention Please had many of them. We were a little perplexed about the millipede that was circulating throughout the house until we looked up online for its spiritual meaning: ‘no one likes you’. This represented well Hari (Vishnu Govindhan) who had a ‘friendly’ environment but deep down wasn’t appreciated, and the fate of that millipede became exactly what people wanted to do with Hari.
Someone, please explain what the wall painting symbolized?? Was it a representation of a lord and a servant?🤔
THE SET: The majority of the scenes take place at the terrace during nighttime when we could barely see faces due to the electricity going on and off. At first, it was a bit distracting as we wanted to clearly see facial expressions but then we came to understand that the dark setting ‘changed’ into a court area where attention was directed on Hari (rather than his friends) acting like a judge who spotlighted the rights and wrongs of society and tried people’s conduct
ACTING: The entire cast truly crowned the movie with a formidable performance 👏🏾 Vishnu Govindhan took charge as the captain of the ship carrying us along the narrative. Hari was passionate about his work, yet also creepy, pitiful, and entertaining. We loved Ajith (Anand Manmadhan), he was the man of the day 😊
TAKEAWAY LESSON: What happens when a full bottle is put under high pressure? It explodes, and that was Hari! His stories were uniquely bizarre inspired by the world around; but to his friends, the tales appeared copied making it an excuse to taunt him.
If we can defend Hari for a moment, all scriptwriters draw inspiration from their surroundings, thus, there’ll always be a little similarity to other stories. That being said, Hari had his share of responsibility; yes, you’re a cinephile but concurrently, find a job to support and respect yourself. Other lessons, unfortunately, won’t be shared to avoid spoilers 🙊
SIDE NOTE: The cinematography in the living room and kitchen locations was quite torturing with the great number of still shots. We wanted to see so much but the camera was withholding a lot of details
Viewers’ Guide
Language
Trailer
Available on
(Audio: Malayalam; English Subtitles: Yes)
