Roy review: Suraj Venjaramoodu starrer mystery thriller’s interesting premise is let down by poor execution, directionless writing

2/5

Story:

Teena, a skilled and daring journalist, is married to Roy, a mild mannered and eccentric man whose only friend seems to be his wife. Roy’s world is turned upside down when his wife goes missing, while on the trail of a missing novelist. When the police refuse to take Roy’s complaints seriously, he decides to investigate his wife’s disappearance on his own.

Review:

A journalist goes missing while in the middle of investigating the mysterious disappearance of a writer, and her husband decides to investigate following the apathy of the police- the basic premise of Roy is nothing new. But Sunil Ibrahim decides to take a different route with his fourth directorial, in a way that makes Roy stand apart from the rest of his filmography. The titular protagonist is no ordinary distraught husband, but someone who is in possession of a special gift, which comes in the form of visions or ‘dreams’ he has that help him know things which no ordinary person in his position can.

One would think that the inherent intrigue in such a rarely explored subject would help the film rise above your usual run of the mill mystery thrillers. But banal writing and poor storytelling squanders every bit of promise the story had, leading to a dragging and directionless film that moves at an excruciatingly long pace.

The first strike definitely comes in the form of the lead couple, Roy and Teena, essayed by Suraj Venjaramoodu and Sija Rose. Although the duo’s strong bond and devotion to each other forms the driving point of the story, it hardly translates onto the screen in an authentic way. Instead of painting a convincing portrait of a loving couple who understand and uplift each other, the duo’s chemistry comes off looking forced and inorganic, and there are few moments where their relationship comes off as genuine. Granted, the huge age difference between the two have been written into the story, but the several moments of Teena’s instant, yet inexplicably deep connection to Roy, which borders on obsession even, come off as problematic and even dodgy. The interactions between the couple look incredibly contrived, made all the more worse by the cliched lines the script has them feed each other.

The characterisations of the lead characters also leave a lot to be desired. Roy’s characterisation of a tortured man cursed with a gift he did not ask for, and Teena’s faultless dedication and understanding of her husband’s darkness, as well as her righteousness, comes off as very one dimensional.

The sluggish pace of the film is yet another element that brings the film down, and a huge chunk of the film seems to consist of nothing but filler sequences which seem to serve no purpose at all. The elements of Roy’s special gift, which offered a lot of promise as his visions blur the lines between what is real and not, fall short of becoming impactful due to the poor execution, as well as half hearted performances by a cast who the script gives little to work with. The way Roy’s specialty is incorporated into the story lacks nuance, with his visions haphazardly inserted into the story to roughly move it along. The way the film's story unfolds in the third act leaves a number of open ends, with many questions remaining unanswered, and lacks closure.

Verdict:

Although Roy’s unique concept held promise to be spun into a taut thriller, directionless writing and poor execution lead to a dawdling thriller with barely any bite, made worse by half hearted performances by the lead cast.