Black

Black Movie Synopsis: A vacationing couple becomes trapped in multiple realities, encountering different versions of themselves. As they navigate these parallel universes, they grapple with the consequences of small decisions and the nature of their relationship.

Black Movie Review: Black is one of those movies that makes you ponder, or at least tries to. It is the kind of film that can leave some viewers confused, while others familiar with the multiverse theory would understand the director’s intentions.

The setup revolves around Vasanth (Jiiva) and his wife Aaranya (Priya Bhavani Shankar) heading to a beach rental villa for a staycation. Before that, we get a preamble to what’s coming: first, a scene from the 1960s where Mano (Vivek Prasanna) drives to his beach house on a terribly rainy night, with a couple seated behind. They encounter an eerie roadblock of a cart with broken statues. At the beach house, strange things happen, and Mano hears a terrible screeching noise. He returns inside to find the couple dead. Then, we see Vasanth at a police station, brought in for a missing wife case. These events are part of various timelines that viewers will connect later.

During their holiday, the couple gets hints that something is amiss. To condense: they are trapped in multiple realities. They see themselves in another villa, playing out scenarios slightly differently. Each time they venture through complete darkness under a full moon (the darkness being a wormhole to another multiverse), they enter a different reality where everyday events unfold in new ways. The film explores what’s real, how small decisions can vastly affect our lives, and their impact on our relationships. It also examines the effects of such a maddening time loop on the human psyche and how mental states can spiral out of control.

While the exploration of this topic is interesting, the execution leaves much to be desired. It’s a bit dry, set mostly in a villa with just two characters. There are only so many minor variations of Vasanth and Aaranya one can see before getting bored. An art film with a small setting should really make you think. Instead, half the time is spent figuring out the puzzle.

Jiiva and Priya Bhavani Shankar have good chemistry and perform their roles well. It's a comeback of sorts for Jiiva and he has attempted something experimental. He convincingly portrays a character who struggles to control his anger. Priya Bhavani Shankar's performance is less explored, as she's mostly seen reacting to Jiiva’s experiences of his alternate selves. Vivek Prasanna has a minor role providing context to the events.

Based on the 2013 film Coherence, Black presents some good ideas and aims to be a mind-bender.

Written By: Abhinav Subramanian