Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam - on the edge of forever

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam

(Like An Afternoon Dream)

Bilingual (Malayalam and Tamil), 2023

Directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery

Stars Mammooty, Poo Ramu, Namo Narayana, Ramya Suvi, Ramya Pandian

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. - St Thomas Aquinas

The ancient Basilica to Our Lady of Good Health is just as much a Temple to the Mother Goddess as it is a Church for the Blessed Mother. Apparitions of Ve:la:nkkaNi Amman holding Her Beloved Son, along with numerous miracles attributed to Her have made the little fishing village one of most revered places on Earth. 

A man returning from here walks into a nearby village and begins his routine life of caring for his aging parents, and providing for his wife and teenage daughter, and being storyteller and friend to the people of the community.   His whole life is found in the village and its people. However,  this native of the soil, this humble farmer named Sundaram,  vanished without a trace two years prior, and the man who now returned as him is someone else. 

He is James, a cynical and stingy agnostic who is returning to Ernakulam from visiting the Blessed Mother with his family and friends. Mammooty plays both characters, carrying this whimsical art film with a confidence and certainty we have not seen in a long time. 

Rather than telling a story, Director Lijo leads us through an emotional and spiritual experience. No one, neither Tamil nor Malayalam, cares why or how someone can be possessed by someone else's identity.  They accept what is happening and look for a solution that brings harm to no one. The Kerala side speaks as though this is all too familiar, while the elder on the Tamil side acknowledges this is what happens when one visits such a great temple. The Goddess has Her Own Plans and ours is just to learn from it with patience. 

There is a simplicity to the story, a feeling of ordinariness about all that is going on. There is no horror in it, no psychosis or supernatural mystery. It just is, a series of sentimental moments, as a family sees the return of a lost soul, while a woman and her son watch with curiosity and disappointment that the husband of their household no longer seems to know them.  

It is in the backgrounds, however wherein a haunting undercurrent lies. TV sets, not monitors show classic films and serials throughout.  We hear the voices of MGR, Sivaji, and Radha Ravi blaring out in monotone. At temples and on the streets we hear Sirkazhi and KB Sundarambal playing out of old fashioned speakers. Could it be we are in some sort of time warp, or is James revisiting a past life?   Every song and dialogue somehow fits the seen, but not to the point where we are comfortable with it.

The closing of the film brings curiosity without twists, turns, or hysteric. A miracle plays out and we are witness to it.  Perhaps, that's what life is all about.