Episode 730 - Jallikattu (2019)

Hi everyone!

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another Fantastic Fest feature from Andrew Campbell. This week will feature absolutely no BS. No wait, I’m sorry, this film will be full of BS, and I mean actual bullshit. Not a bunch of lies and stories for which the term bullshit is used, but actual bullshit, along with actual bulls, who have an actual prize tied to their horns called... JALLIKATTU! Don’t miss Andrew’s other recent reviews for THE CALL OF THE WILD (Episode #726), BLISS (Episode #723), and SCHOOL’S OUT (Episode #716).

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our good friends at the Moviedrone podcast. Every week, Steve & Marc focus on one feature film, assign each other homework, interact with the audience, and of course, the incredible stylings of Marc’s Movie Impressions. You can find them on Twitter and Instagram @movie_drone and on Facebook @Moviedronepod. Be sure to like, retweet, share, follow, and most importantly, subscribe!

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Here we go!

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Hello film fans!

Andrew here, back today with wild film out of India. When discussing the Indian and American film markets, people generally compare Bollywood versus Hollywood. When you get into the weeds on these terms, Bollywood refers specifically to films produced in Mumbai (which was known as Bombay when the term “Bollywood” was originally coined). Now, the term has taken on more of a colloquial meaning to describe the sum total of all films produced in the country, which includes smaller studio markets such as Tollywood and Kollywood among others. Likewise, “Hollywood films” once referred to movies made in the L.A. suburb that housed most of the major film studios, but now typically refers to American films made anywhere in the country but within the larger studio system, which excludes independent films. Hey Joseph, you’re gonna fact check all this, right?

JOSEPH: “Seems legit.”

In any case, there were roughly one thousand films released in the United States last year and roughly double that figure in India. Let’s see if we can figure out why this one broke out of the herd and got picked up by Fantastic Fest.

Today’s movie is JALLIKATTU (2019), written by R. Jayakumar & Hareesh S., and directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. The film stars Antony Varghese as Varkey, the lone butcher in a remote Indian village. Varkey is preparing a buffalo for slaughter when the massive animal breaks free and runs rampage through the town and surrounding jungle. With the buffalo wreaking havoc, the women and children take shelter while the men attempt to recapture the beast. Mobs begin to form and the petty squabbles that have existed between the men of the village for years get in the way of the task at hand.

The film opens with a little bit of character work, giving us a soft introduction to a number of the villagers. However, once the buffalo breaks loose, the film quickly descends into chaos. Maybe it’s cultural differences, or the way the story spends the next hour shunting between one chaotic scene to the next, or the exponential growth of extras as more and more men show up, but I lost track of all the main characters and their collective personal dramas. This left me fairly bored and all but disengaged for the bulk of the film’s runtime. Nearly every moment of the film is filled with men talking over each other, men shouting at one another, or men abusing their spouses. The film stampedes the viewer with constant cacophony… but maybe that’s the point.

Stepping back and looking at the movie from a distance, it’s clear that the film was not made with the western audience in mind and the creators were probably pleasantly surprised to see it picked up by TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival), Fantastic Fest, and likely others. With that in mind, it’s probably more fair to grade this one on a curve and view it as an outsider looking into a massive country with a vibrant cinema scene that I know nothing about. In the film itself, every time a character smokes or drinks alcohol, a “warning label” (for lack of a better term) appears noticeably on screen to warn the audience against the danger of such vices. The film simply comes from a far different world than I am used to.

What JALLIKATTU gets right is the one thing that easily translates into any language - that sweet, sweet buffalo action. There are several scenes where you get real shots of the massive animal running around doing its own thing, but there’s a great mix of practical effects as well. There are some thrilling third-person shots that any fans of the indie video game Goat Simulator are certain to enjoy. Then the film sprinkles in some buffalo cam shots as the viewer bounds around and sends villagers flying. Were this an American film, you know it would all be CGI, but the live action stunt-work here is what makes the film worth sticking with through some of the rough patches.

What makes JALLIKATTU fantastic?The ending of this film... absolutelygoes for it. What felt like a fairly realistic depiction of the more toxic aspects of masculinity in the Indian culture transcends into something so outlandish that it may literally be jaw-dropping. If you give this one a shot and find yourself losing interest during the protracted second act, just ensure that you zoom ahead and check out the last 15 minutes for a startling visual metaphor.

JALLIKATTU is a step outside the comfort zone for American audiences that delivers a dull roar punctuated by the occasional violent hoofbeat. Fans of films that descend into surreal chaos such as TUMBBAD (Episode #432), CLIMAX (Episode #459), or MOTHER! (Episode #245) will enjoy this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 6.2/10

JALLIKATTU (2019) is not rated and is now streaming now Amazon Prime Video.

Come back next Friday for a light-hearted midnight horror flick appropriately titled AFTER MIDNIGHT. This movie showcases what a filmmaker can do on a shoestring budget. It’s equal parts Deep South break-up drama and psychological terror with a monster in the woods that may or may not actually exist. I promise it’s a fun one.

See you then!