Aval Review (short film)… the weak acting was sadly uninviting

Year: 2018
Genre: Social Justice, Relations, Drama
Cast: Jean Kollamparambil, Haritha Nair, Ujwal Unmesh, Davis Tom, Lavita Deena Veigas, Nimmi Anet, Vinil Binil Vivek, Dilson
Director: Febin Thomas
Writer: Febin Thomas
Cinematographer: Akhil Thomas Varghese
Summary: Traumatized by the suicide of an acquaintance due to bullying, Manu needs to summon the strength to make wrongs right in his community

Overall Rating: Water
Aval did a good job of shedding light on the atrocities of bullying. Howeverrrrr, the weak acting and uninviting atmosphere of the movie didn’t motivate us to walk the journey with the actors
~Yours To Explore~

Delicious
—Aval had a very quiet ambiance, which was necessary for the sensitive topic addressed. It was so hurting that Manu’s acquaintance died due to the spread of rumors about her interaction with a man. The message was clear: spreading gossip can have a detrimental effect on the victims
—Aval included very piercing lines that were thought-provoking and made us think again about talking behind people’s backs

Bland
—As the storyline touched on a sensitive topic, it would have been more powerful to actually witness the intensity of bullying and shaming. The only scene where we saw a couple attacked was somewhat brushed off by light acting and dialogue
—The saturated yellow-orange color palette was a bit overwhelming
—Jean Kollamparambil (playing Manu) didn’t own his character; we just remember him walking with this backpack looking pensive with no dramatic facial or physical expressions
—The slow pace of Aval was not accompanied by a thrilling editing or cinematography