Left Right Left

Story: The film presents lives of three entirely different men and how politics influences their motives and later changes the course of their life.

Review: There is something extremely native about Left Right Left. Three men carry with them traits - moulded out of the remnants of a past ridden with blood, death and bitterness. It’s about the way the ideals or the lack of ideals define a man. While Marxism instils in Kaitheri Sahadevan (Hareesh Peradi) a fearsome coldness, the same ideal works up a truthful sense of humanity in Roy Joseph (Murali Gopy). Vattu Jayan (Indrajith) is devoid of scruples; a rugged man with a smouldering gaze.

A raw earthiness runs through all of them; inimitable and compelling. The narrative employs politics to link them; an insensate communist leader, a warm, subdued communist who was once a fiery activist and a wayward cop with a brutish streak.

The politics in Left right Left might be shuddering for its sheer bluntness. The boldness that etches the interplay of politics in this film is too heavy and too direct. A lack of economy and an overdose of judgement shroud the subtle beauty of numerous small sequences that Murali Gopy crafts in this film. This film is unique for its brilliantly carved out characters and it hurts to note the directness of politics robbing the characters of their subtleties.

Loads of brilliance goes into each character. Few films have shown more intensity in depicting the effects of politics on individuals than Left Right Left. Some of the most decisive, crucial moments in the film are played out with deft touches. Vattu Jayan shares deep warmth for his mother; an emotion they seldom show to each other.

In a moment of crisis, Jayan snaps at his mother not to cry, later breaks down inside the toilet and comes out as though nothing has happened. Anitha (Lena) who is a loving wife to a partly paralysed Roy Joseph conceals a trembling mountain of emotions deep inside. Their warmest moments are portrayed when she strums a guitar or when Roy tenderly cuddles up a worried Anitha without asking any questions.

It is these little, pretty moments that get crushed by the heaviness of Left politics. Some characters are ripped off directly from the present times, lending them shades and driving their motives with a sense of judgement that is appalling. This is a film which will be loved more for its characters than its theme. Even the female characters, especially Lena, exemplifies why she is a powerful actor with her feisty mien.