In an evolving world, emerging research continues to highlight concerns that could impact everyday wellbeing. Here’s the key update you should know about:
One of the reasons Rahul Sadasivan’s last two films, Bramayugam and Bhoothakalam, grabbed the audience’s attention was the way he appreciated their horror-movie intelligence. Be it the theatrics in Bramayugam or the emotional haunting in Bhoothakalam, we can see that in the way he presents the Story using the audio-visual tools cinema offers him, there is that cinematic enthusiasm to anticipate what we would predict and deliver something beyond that. Dies Irae, his second collaboration with the team that delivered Bramayugam, is one more such immaculately crafted horror film that keeps you engaged for every minute of its runtime without doing any genre gimmicks.
So, the movie revolves around the life of Rohan. A spoiled rich brat who isn’t that serious about life. One day, he learns that his old classmate committed suicide. Rohan and his friend decided to pay a visit to her house. What we see in the movie is a series of abnormal events that happened in Rohan’s life after his visit to that house.
In terms of visual language, I would say the steadiness and horror choreography are somewhat towards the kind of treatment we saw in Bhoothakalam. Except for the chaotic action towards the end, even the most panicking situations are captured with static shots, with the editing and background score actually doing the emotional acceleration. Rahul Sadasivan is not going after any deliberate use of gore in this film to create horror. He uses wind, the sounds, and simplistic shadow plays to create that eerie atmosphere. And if you look at how the movie registers each character, the emphasis is there, but it is very subtle.
Like I said, most of the frames in this movie are static, and Rahul Sadasivan, at times, takes a deliberate pause for certain locations, indirectly telling the audience to note these areas. Most places other than Rohan’s house are treated with that normalcy in terms of visuals. But the architectural backdrop of Rohan offers Rahul a great way to set up that home as a stage for all the horror. The all white interiors, the luxury amenities, the lighting, the windows, and the wide open spaces inside the house are utilized effectively to create a spooky ambience. The way this film has shown the presence of ghosts is so effective that it really shows you the importance of cracking the emotion on a writing level, rather than hoping for the prosthetic gore to make the audience uncomfortable.
One of the things I found interesting about the writing is how they converted something usually used as a decoy into an integral part of the Story. That track, which talks about someone’s obsession, is actually giving Dies Irae a connection to its title. The investigative bit in the second half, with parallel tracks leading to a major reveal, had great editing precision. Christo Xavier’s score respects the silences, which are more horrifying than most of the violent moments in the movie. Sound design is a key element in any horror film to transport the audience, and in Dies Irae, the work is phenomenal as the sound design, along with edits, creates tension.
Pranav Mohanalal delivers one of his best performances in the movie. We haven’t really seen him in such a space, and the guy portrayed the arrogance bit in that effortless manner. When it came to those encounters with the ghost, he wasn’t overdoing it. His Malayalam diction has improved significantly. Gibin Gopinath as Madhu was really impressive. The character roles he has done previously mostly had that louder pitch. Here, the character is a very keen observer, and that gentleness was there in the way he spoke. Gibin Gopinath carries that very effectively in the movie. One of the most terrifying scenes’ fear element works mostly because of Gibin’s reaction shot. Also, credit to Rahul Sadasivan for imagining how a beam of light, seen through the slit of a door, can be interpreted as a source of horror. Jaya Kurup, who has previously done numerous character roles, gets a major break in this movie, and the performance is fabulous. Arun Ajikumar, as the brother, performs the character’s trauma response effectively.
I saw this movie in one of the premium large formats, Epiq, and I would highly recommend watching this movie in any such format. It is not just about having that immersive experience. Somewhere, the reason why you feel that sense of freshness in this movie is because of how they managed to keep you on the edge of your seat without necessarily doing any huge budget theatrics. Dies Irae shows you that you can still achieve the intense horror of classic films if you have an innovative brain that knows how to use the format. And I loved the way Rahul casually announced his next movie towards the end of this film.
Review By: Digitpatrox