The Teacher review: Although well intentioned, Amala Paul’s revenge drama is as basic as they come

2.5/5

Story:

Devika, a P.E teacher, wakes up one morning after a successful sports event feeling ill at ease. Her sense of dread that something terrible has happened refuses to go away, despite her finding little to no evidence that anything is amiss. When she is caught by surprise by an unexpected change in her life, she decides to investigate what really happened that night, while hiding the truth from her oblivious husband. 

Review:

A woman’s search for answers soon turns into a crusade for justice and vengeance- the crux of The Teacher’s story is no different from the number of revenge dramas with a female protagonist that have hit the silver screen. Unfortunately, Amala Paul’s comeback vehicle into Malayalam cinema fails to rise above the simplicity of its premise, largely due to its one dimensional characters, glaring inconsistencies in the film’s tone and uninspired writing.

The film starts off on a promising enough note, as the viewer is introduced to Devika, a P.E teacher, who finds herself disquieted after her school’s sports meet. Despite her best efforts, she is unable to recollect the events that took place that fateful night. A life changing event leaves her with no choice but to search for answers, which leaves her down a spiral of disturbing revelations.

The start of Devika’s story is structured in a way that pulls one in. The way the protagonist, a simple young woman living an ordinary life, pieces together the events that are blacked out from her memory, following thread after thread, is intriguing enough to hold one’s interest, and at the same time convincing enough to fit the protagonist’s plain Jane milieu. However, after the well made first act, the inconsistencies in the film’s tone become glaringly obvious as the film progresses.

The Teacher‘s inconsistencies seem to start with its instability to pick and stick to a particular route when it comes to the tone of its story, and the protagonist bears the brunt of this. Devika starts off as a simplistic young woman who is forced to discover her inner steel when something terrible happens to her. Although her characterisation does manage to stave off being reduced to an out and out victim, the way Devika’s persona pivots by the third act is in sharp contrast to how her character was established from the very beginning. Writer-director Vivek forgoes every ounce of subtlety and nuances he could have brought about in the protagonist, and instead chooses to make Devika a one dimensional avenger, who is faced off against equally simplified supporting characters.

We have the oblivious and easily impressionable husband Sujith, who seems to be unable to think for himself when it comes to anything in his life. There’s his degenerate friend reeking of misogyny who seems to exist simply as a mish mash of sexist tropes in cinema. While most of the male characters are walking examples of regressiveness, the female characters who rally around Devika in her time of need are treated better, though far from being properly fleshed out. This becomes glaringly obvious in the case of Manju Pillai’s Kalyani, a bold island activist, and Devika’s mother in law, who encourages Devika to not listen to her frightened husband’s fears. The ‘massy’ sequences that Manju and Amala are accorded also seem to fall out of place with the overall film’s tone.

Although the makers did seem to be well intentioned with the way they treated the subject with the sensitivity it deserved, the weak writing fails to weave a memorable revenge drama out of its stale premise, and the shallow characters only manage to weigh down the already uninspired script.

Verdict:

The Teacher’s good intentions and promising beginning is overridden by its uninspired writing and stark differences in tone, which become too stark to ignore as the film progresses. Shallow and one dimensional characters also weigh down the already watered down script.