Bougainvillea Review: Malayalam director Amal Neerad is known for films that are visually stunning with strong atmospheres, often blending mainstream cinematic elements with technical finesse. Iyobinte Pusthakam, Varathan and Bheeshma Paravam are some recent films of his that showcase his ability to work across genres. And his latest film Bougainvillea, starring Kunchacko Boban, Jyothirmayi and Fahadh Faasil, sees him venturing into the zone of the psychological thriller.

The story

Bougainvillea is the story of Dr Royce (Kunchacko Boban) and his wife Reethu (Jyothirmayi) who live in the hills around Idukki. A car accident eight years back, sees Reethu develop retrograde and anterograde amnesia and the only vision she’s obsessed with since is bougainvillea flowers which she keeps fervently painting. 

With her struggling with her memory, it’s upto her husband Royce and their maid, Rema (Srinu) to help her cope with daily life. Reethu uses voice recordings, photos and handwritten notes to keep track of her life and distinguish between reality and hallucinations. In this situation, ACP David Koshy lands up at their house one day while on an important investigation of a missing girl. What really happened to Reethu? Why are the police questioning her in this missing girl case? What happens next?

The verdict

This movie has been adapted from Lajo Jose’s 2019 novel Ruthinte Lokam (Ruth’s world) and the director has apparently stayed true to the original story. This is an investigative thriller that has been presented in a new manner to the audience though the story may be one they have seen numerous times. The way Amal Neerad creates the mysterious atmosphere and builds up the tempo in the first half keeps everyone hooked and eager to know how the story will unfold and where it will lead. However, in the second half the story falters instead of really kicking off and that’s a letdown.

Despite this, Neerad builds up the suspense beautifully and has crafted a technically well-made film that has excellent visuals by Anend C Chandran and slick editing by Vivek Harshan. 

Once again music director Sushin Shyam has delivered a BGM that truly elevates the film – for instance, he uses the forest-like setting to introduce animal sounds to heighten the thriller sensory experience. As known, the foot-tapping Stuthi song from the film has been topping the charts though it had its fair share of controversy. The entire crux of the story rests on Reethu’s memory and the talented director has ensured he doesn’t follow familiar tropes to present this to the audience. That, in itself, is a treat for the audience.

Jyothirmayi, who makes a successful comeback in her husband’s film after 11 years, is the heart and soul of Bougainvillea. Her acting prowess is on full display as she captivates you as the mentally frail and emotionally disturbed Reethu. Kunchako Boban as Royce has a good character arc but the predictability of his character hinders the gripping pace in which the film progresses especially in the second half. As for Fahadh Faasil, he doesn’t have a full-fledged role in the film but he more than makes up for it with his performance as always.

All in all

On the whole, this Amal Neerad-directed film is not as good as some of his previous ones but given that it’s new territory for the director, he has delivered a film that clearly has his signature. Boungainvillea, however, belongs to Jyothirmayi as she shoulders the film superbly for Amal Neerad.

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