“Mercury” Review…. A film worth appreciating.

In the day and age where people are being exposed to various types of cinema from all around the world, experimentation is always welcome, and it should be encouraged. If one was to describe “Mercury” in one sentence, then it can be called a creatively stimulating, experimental, slasher film (Although there isn’t any gore). The story is simple, but the style of story telling is what sets this film apart. In essence it’s quite simple, but in execution, not so much. This film has absolutely no dialogue. None of the characters can speak. When the characters don’t speak, such a film would require some other aspects to keep the audience hooked. So what does this film have?

Without giving away any spoilers, this film is basically about a group of friends who end up mistakingly running a man over, during a road trip. This leads to a chain of events. Quite frankly, giving away any more information would be disrespectful to the filmmaker, and everyone involved in the project. While the story is straight forward, there are few elements in the film that keeps you hooked. Yes, even though there are no dialogues. This film is less about the screenplay, and more about how a film can be experienced from a technically unique standpoint. In other words, visual and acoustic storytelling. The film manages to keep you engrossed, from the beginning, until slightly before the end. Visually, considering how this is a low budget film, the film looks beautiful. The lighting, the colors and the shadows play an important role when it comes to creating the right ambience. The cinematographer, S.Thirunavukkarasu, has done an excellent job, and even the shots seem fresh and at times throw a few surprises in your direction. Another aspect to be noted is the production design by Sathees Kumar. Anyone who sees this film will understand what I mean. It goes perfectly with the eerie flavor of this film, and the objects are placed according to the action that we see on screen. The sound and music, while slightly irritating at first, ends up playing an important role in the film. The technical aspects play a huge role in this kind of film, and for the most part, the director has succeeded. Karthik Subbaraj (the director) has done a wonderful job staging the moments in the film as well.

Every cast member is competent and gets the job done. In a film with no dialogues, the expressions and body language is important. Every actor manages to communicate with us their pain, agony and emotions. Prabhu Deva stands out, and you’ve probably never seen him like this before. For him to take up a role like this is commendable, and he does a great job. Now for the flaws. There are moments where those who can speak sometimes don’t in the presence of others who can’t, but such a blemish can be ignored. It seemed as if the director just wanted to keep the “No dialogue” rule alive. The culmination of the film seems slightly stretched. The director/writer tried to add a certain level of depth to the story towards the end, but whether or not that works is debatable. The film loses its grip towards the end.

Overall, this film is an experimentation which gets done perhaps 85% of what it probably intended. One should watch this film keeping in mind that this was meant to be a new experience. It’s like a battle between sight and sound. No doubt, it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that this film isn’t for everyone, however different types of cinema should be made, and making such a film is always a challenge. To get such a film made is commendable.

3 out of 5 stars.