A narrative experiment following the psychological unraveling of a sensitive young man, Monologue is told from the point of view of Ajayan. Abandoned by his mother at birth, he is raised in luxury and affection by the doctor who delivered him. As a boy, he precocious nature and sharp wit get him into continuous trouble, and when he grows older a gnawing sense of loss brought on by his inability to connect to other people pushes him to the edge of neurosis. At this point the story begins again, this time emphasizing different details and changing others altogether, until it becomes impossible to separate the truth from Ajayan's troubled imagination. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide
Review
Always an acute dissector of human psychology, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, in Monologue, delivers his most complex narrative puzzle by funneling the film's story through one character's crumbling psyche. Gopalakrishnan's more experimental narratives always demand that the viewer pay close attention to details without the aid of telegraphing devices like intertitles or fades. The Man of the Story jumps decades in a single cut. Shadow Kill uses characters from the hero's life to illustrate an imagined catastrophe. Monologue is told from the point of view of a man who's ability to distinguish reality from fantasy disintegrates at the film progresses. As he narrates and re-narrates events from his life, the viewer is given the task of interpreting which are real and which are not. The result is a remarkable film that can produce different readings each time it is seen. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide
Cast
Ashokan - Ajayan
Mammootty - Balu
Sobbhana - Suma @ Nalini
Balan K. Nair - compounder; Adoor Bhasi; Vembayam Thampi
Credit
Sivan - Art Director, Adoor Gopalakrishnan - Director, M. Mani - Editor, M.B. Srinivasan - Composer (Music Score), Ravi Varma - Cinematographer, K.Ravindranathan Nair - Producer, Adoor Gopalakrishnan - Screenwriter
