Jump scares? Yes, Connection? Buffers!

Move over birthdays, reunions, dates, lessons and classes. It’s about time to conduct Exorcism over mankind’s favorite yet deeply loved and vehemently hated post-pandemic platform – Zoom! We may feel largely the same ambivalence towards the film.

The story is a simple leaf out of yesteryear’s favorite Hollywood subject, presented with a backdrop of modern-day pandemic setting. How does a family, and more importantly a loving mother manage and mitigate multiple conflicts at the same time – total lockdown amid covid pandemic, loss of doctor husband, and an eerily possessed daughter.

There are a few aspects that keep the film engaging and worth a watch. First and foremost is the quirky jump scares that pack a punch and keep the eerie feeling intact. Haniya Nafis as Anna Joseph, the possessed daughter is outright excellent. You would empathize with her, and she will scare the heck out of you. I must say the role of Susan Joseph is tailor made for the seasoned actor in Nayanthara. The love, the concern, the urgency, the scare couldn’t have been better emoted. I must mention Sathyaraj, as the doting grandfather Arthur Samuel, is a livewire throughout the proceedings.

When Father Augustine (Anupam Kher) mentions the word “Zoom”, it is right at that moment the film falls flat and detours into a rather comedic route. Zoom is one entity that has tested people’s patience in the last couple years and left many saturated. The storyteller could have resorted to anything but Zoom in order to keep the momentum going. I think it’s at that moment, the filmgoer in me lost the connection and disinterest crept in.

The script is well conceived, and the narration is top notch with apt aesthetics. Every frame is captured and uniquely presented as if the movie camera and zoom webcam are one and the same. Ashwin Saravanan, the writer and director, had scored a homerun with his previous outing Game Over. However, this one is somewhat a letdown in comparison. While the former sustained a deep connection through the entirety of the film, the latter buffers quite a bit while trying to connect with us, philosophically.

75% greatness, 25% ordinariness.

Connect is now showing at your favorite theatres and should be streaming soon on Netflix.