How to Talk Films | Video Essay Script

Let me ask you this. How do we watch films? With so many online streaming platforms and rampant piracy, theatres are not the only means to watch films anymore. But, how do we watch films? How do we answer when someone asks us how a movie was? Do we tell them about our experience or do we give a review that is within 2 minutes?

Hi, I’m Kishor and this is MOVING IMAGES. Vaayai moodi pesavum aka Samsaaram aarogyathinu haanikaram is about a small fictional town falling victim to a strange disease that makes people lose the ability to talk. The disease spreads by talking and so a ban on talking is imposed on the entire town. The film is a satirical comedy that deals with how we communicate. The main characters each deal with different aspects of communication problems and how they overcome it when talking is banned forms the crux of the story. The film turns silent for a major portion of its runtime leading to many scenes that are reminiscent of the silent film era with slapstick comedy and hilarious situations. The film’s message about the importance of communication is quite clear. Listen and converse, don’t just try to force your opinions without hearing what others have to say. Although this message is applicable to all aspects of life, let’s try applying this to how we watch films. After all, this is Moving Images, a channel about films.

It was actually you guys, the viewers of this channel, who made me come up with this video essay idea. When I posted a question on my Instagram about what you guys thought the film was about, a large portion of you guys surprised me by giving me one-line reviews for the film instead of answering my question. The miscommunication was ironic in this case when it is about a film about communication. I kind of felt like the ticker tape in the NEWS broadcast. No one even listened to what I had asked. The eagerness of everyone to review the film made me think. Maybe the slew of short online reviews in a format that feels like how a friend would talk to us have made us all think this is how we should talk about films. Maybe we feel the need to summarize the entire experience of watching a film in a few words.

Our parents largely watched films in theatres and depended on written critique by film critics before deciding whether to watch a film. These critics through their writing influenced an entire generation on what to watch and more importantly how to watch films. When I ask my Dad his opinion on an old film he watched, he would talk about the actors or a particular scene with little anecdotes about the time the film released and what was he doing at that point in his life, my mom usually sings a few lines of the song from the film to remind herself about the film before talking about it. This is how my parents give their opinion about films. They share their experience and few key things they remember about the film. Opinions, not reviews.

With our generation having access to every film and the ability to watch it multiple times, do we even form memories about the experience of watching the film the first, second or the 100th time? Let’s just stop consuming films and start experiencing them. Let’s start listening to what the film has to say. When we talk movies, let’s get deeper than mere reviews. Talk about what the film meant to you, what you observed, start making crazy theories even. Here let me show a few things I talk when I discuss films I love with friends. Ever noticed this quick callback to the previous banana scene in Anniyan? How about this little scene where SPB dubs for Kamal for a single line? Who is this guy? Ever wondered how the story of Ghillie is kind of like a kabbadi match? Or how in Achamundu Achamundu, the film gradually gets darker as the story progresses to symbolize the sun setting down on this family? And since you are here to listen to me talk about Vaayai moodi pesavum, how about the theory that the hero Arvind, represents the idea of conversation, and tries to get to the characters in the story to converse. Arvind aka conversation wants to be a RJ and wants to be heard by the whole town. Throughout the film he is shown to solve any issue by just talking it out. But Arvind’s special quality is not how he talks but how he listens and understands the situation. When talking fails, like this instance where he is unable to make a landlord reduce the rent for an orphanage or even make him smile, he tries to listen and understand why the landlord is the way he is and gets to him through means other than just words. Arvind, by being the representation of conversation, shows us how we should converse. Maybe even showing RJ Balaji, a famous reviewer, losing his voice and the film fraternity celebrating it, also ties into my essay. Anyway, this is how I talk about films. You might have your own way. Who knows? Maybe one day all this movie trivia might help you. What I am suggesting is you might be a casual viewer or a film fanatic but start listening when you watch films. Keep an open mind and maybe even the most mundane films might have something for you. Turn off the cellphone, stop distracting your friend with your predictions and just watch the film.

These are the thoughts that made me start this channel almost two years ago. It was a time when films were being trolled rather than being reviewed and the appreciation of our own films among our audience started dwindling. I wanted to talk about films. Not just share my opinion about films I loved, but start a conversation with you guys. I am proud of the community we have built here. Though a major part of the comments were suggestions on which film I should analyze next, I have also seen interesting opinions, takes and conversations about the video starting in the comments section. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate all the comments, even the suggestion ones, but how about we talk about the content of the video? Take the conversation forward and add your insights and thoughts to it. As we will be soon entering the third year of Moving Images, let’s watch, rewatch, discuss, deconstruct, theorize, and demand more from films. Let’s let films talk to us, let’s talk films, and maybe the filmmakers and the reviewers might listen to us. Until next time, this is Kishor signing off saying…