Malayalam Movie Review: 'Weeping Boy'

Life is sacred. Period. But the ‘Right’ to be born is one that has had its vociferous attackers and defenders since time immemorial. Weeping Boy attempts to defend this Right by resorting to a murderous means.

The seed of the script is fertile. An 'insane' chap (Sreenivasan) who had escaped an abortionist’s knife weeps like a boy and yearns for a child of his own, while a 'sane' unmarried-couple/society opts for a termination of pregnancy.

Sreenivasan’s character, though, is unconvincing. He slips in and out of reality and has an imaginary friend. He’s fully aware that he’s funny in the head. But when he relates his past, his memories are crystal clear and his mind appears to be in a perfect condition. Further, the psychiatrist who visits him in prison knows his history; therefore, it’s plain superfluous to have a first-person narrative for the flashback that ensues.

Even a good actor appears to falter when the character that they inhabit is flawed. Jagadish (in a minor role) too, apparently, has not been given clear directions. Serious for the most part, one moment his eyes glisten evilly. But in another he’s his usual comic self. Such is the utter waste of gifted comedians with star value.

The young chocolate pair, Arjun Lakshmi Narayan and Shritha Sivadas, shares no sexual chemistry at all. They are very conscious of each other’s personal space. When the boy leans on the girl, in a romantic song, their minds are probably on the cameras and the technical unit. Thus, it is very surprising to see her wake up, abruptly, with morning sickness.

The script, however, does have a very interesting character. The “insane” chap imagines how a certain fetus would have looked in the near future. He paints a cute, happy boy. The boy then jumps out of the canvas, follows him everywhere, and weeps and pleads fora chance to be physically born.

Everyone is responsible for their actions. And there can be no running away from one’s mistakes. The reason for rage is sometimes understandable. But irrespective of whether one belongs by choice to the pro- or the anti-abortion camp, the answer to violence is not violence.

Felix Joseph’s initial spark is potent. And his social drama makes a point; albeit, very weakly. Sadly, for want of knowledge of the proper kind of nourishment, treatment, and delivery, his cherished baby is stillborn.