'Kuthiraivaal': A remarkably abstract take on dreams

The remarkably abstract ‘Kuthiraivaal’ could be fascinating for some and frustrating for others

‘Kuthiraivaal’ (Horse's tail), jointly directed by debutante Manoj Leonel Jahson and Shyam Sunder, and presented by acclaimed filmmaker Pa Ranjith, is one of the rare independent features from the Tamil film industry.

The narrative, with a strong touch of magical realism, takes us through the life of Sarvanan, a bank employee, and a loner. Aged 38, he slips into a dream wherein he sees a horse with its tail missing, only to find out that he sports the missing tail when he wakes up. This may remind us of Franz Kafka's novel ‘Metamorphosis’, in which the character Samsa turn into an insect overnight. Horrified by this strange tail, Saravanan is unsure if it is his imagination or real.

In his quest of understanding the strange phenomenon, Sarvanan meets different people seeking answers. An elderly lady, who interprets dreams, takes him through some mythological and historical references to where such events have occurred. She suspects it could be the termites who are bored of eating wood and paper and have sneaked in to feed on what comes in dreams.

He later meets a crazy mathematician who used to be his teacher in school. He tells Sarvanan that math has a solution to every problem and his dream could be a possibility of an infinite, illusionary world where he needs to search for his lost love. He also hints that it could be something sexual which is iterated by an astrologer who Sarvanan meets at a later point.

The astrologer predicts that this could mean a transformation into a transgender. Saravanan's quest does not just end there. He explores even his inner self during which he thinks that his real name is actually Freud. When he is Freud, we see him having more control over himself.

He isn't bothered about the horse's tail and tries to be psychoanalytical about the problem he is facing. As Freud, he meets a few other characters like Babu, his neighbour, who often is seen wearing Tees with a picture of a dog and owning a dog named frog, a mysterious girl who calls herself Van Gogh and says she is living with him for several years in the same room.

Writer G Rajesh blends the narrative with references from literature, music, science, and films. The narrative marks an ode to the iconic MGR, who can be repeatedly seen in Graffities and on TV. When the news of his death breaks out, we see a community of people mourning the loss of their great leader. At the same time, a lady questions: “how he can be dead? We just saw his film last night”?.

Rajesh brings in many strange conversations of this kind. One of the characteristics of magic realism is that it avoids defining things and includes fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction. The magical elements are usually placed to reflect reality and human experience with visuals and emotions. It works best when the viewer is allowed to imagine the infinite world of the story being told, rather than putting in boundaries. The film justifies this during several sequences.

A story or a script of this kind may come out as an interesting read but to represent that impact with visual imagery is a tough task. We are talking about dreams and magical realism. The visuals to generate such a kind of experience should be carefully designed and the art department deserves appreciation.

Sarvanans room, the use of stained glass paintings, placement of mirrors and artifacts, the fluorescent effect lighting, and the perfect view from the window that captures the images of trains passing by, everything is apt. Cinematography by Karthik Muthukumar gives a psychedelic effect.

The camera hardly is at a normal eye-level position in most of the sequences during the first half. It is tilted, capturing either from a certain height or from just above the floor to give out strange-looking visuals. The background score by Maarten Visser and Pradeep Kumar, sound design by Anthony Ruban, help the film create the required dream sort of effect. The film reminds you of the works of Luis Bunnel and David Lynch. Both of them are known for bringing in surrealism in their works.

Kalaiyarasan shines as Sarvanan. Perhaps after Ranjith’s ‘Madras’ (2014), this film has given him enough screen time. The way he twitches while the horsetail twitches is something that you cannot get off your head. Anjali Patil is at her usual best.

A film of this nature easily finds its way into film festivals but is tough when theatrical business is considered. When the teaser dropped in there was a good buzz where the visuals and the concept garnered appreciation.

‘Kuthiraivaal’ is not an easy film to watch. The characters switch places to different space-times very often. It could become a bit hard to get along with the film because of confusing narrative, which happens too much in the first half. The abstract dialogues and the many references it makes to different theories made me wonder if the filmmaker is showcasing his intelligence. The film could be fascinating for a set of people and frustrating for another set.

The film premiered at Berlin film festivals Critics week. It had its Indian premiere at MAMI (Mumbai film festival) followed by screenings at the International Film Festival of Kerala. It is now streaming on Netflix with English subtitles with a runtime of around two hours.