Director: Ashwin Saravanan
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan
‘Game Over’ is a film that starts breaking clichés from the word go. If you thought only boys or men could be video game addicts or animators, wait till you meet Swapna (the brilliant Taapsee Pannu). And next comes the attack on the clichés of this genre itself. When was the last time you watched a Tamil film with supernatural elements, but without an annoyingly lengthy and predictable flashback sequence (that invariably also had a woeful song or two)?
This is not to say that the Director Ashwin Saravanan (of ‘Maya’ fame) hasn’t treaded the beaten path at all. What’s different with this film though, is the intelligent sequencing and placement of scenes, complimented by some smart and astute edit work (by Richard Kevin, who had also worked on the impressive Kolaigaaran) and cinematography (by the talented A.Vasanth). The film opens with the gory murder of a young woman Amudha, who we find out later is also a three-time cancer survivor. In fact, there seems to be a spate of gory murders across Chennai, apparently targeting unsuspecting young women. As you would have probably guessed, Swapna, who lives by herself in a sprawling bungalow, with only her household help Kalamma (the effective Vinodhini) for company, seems to be the next target. What complicates matters further is Swapna’s traumatic past that has made her suicidal. At one point she is mentally and physically crippled. If you thought all this made her the easiest target of all, you aren’t wrong. However, this is where the terrific, whistle-worthy main plot kicks in to sweep you away! This involves a tattoo studio among other things and keeps you absolutely hooked and guessing all the way through.
Taapsee, who is making a comeback into Tamil films after a while, strolls into this role and carries the film on her shoulders. Her demenour is just perfect while portraying each emotion and she has pulled it off with wonderful conviction. She is helped greatly by the script itself, that is so refreshingly written. The ideas are quite unique and all the sub plots are woven in brilliantly, with just enough depth to get your buy in. For instance, you don’t get the full details or a complete re-enactment of the trauma Swapna underwent. But with what’s fed to you, you comprehend it. Also, not a single shot or sequence is there without a reason. A great example is an early scene involving a generator that seems to have run out of fuel..if you don’t see the point of this yet, wait till you hit the mind-blowing climax!
Apart from the main storyline itself, ‘Game Over’ is also a tale of life and courage. One memorable quote from the film goes like this-‘Everyone has two lives- the second one starts when you realize you only have one’! This is a story of how courage and help can get passed on from one person to another in the most extraordinary of circumstances. Just like in a multi-player game!
Overall rating: 3.5/5
