The endgame of a relationship – or maybe the crisis from which the relationship will emerge reinvigorated – is the subject of this likable, low-key two-hander from Polish film-maker Maria Zbaska. A couple is in crisis; one half is musician Zofia Chabiera who is making her confident acting debut as Wanda, bored and aimless, feeling those first intimations of mortality as people in their late 30s tend to; her unused and thwarted passion is beginning to curdle within her.

Wanda is in a stagnant relationship with Jan, played by Marcin Sztabinski, a heavy-set guy who maybe wasn’t quite as heavy-set when they first got together; he runs a bike repair shop, a situation to which he has dwindled having once dreamed of biking around the world. Wanda is irritated beyond endurance at the way Jan does nothing but doom scroll. (Rather shrewdly, she points out that people who spend their time knitting at least have a scarf to show for it.)

But it is Jan who has had the imagination to dream up a plan to challenge them both: they will hike along the remote and icy Baltic coastline, sleeping in a tent and generally braving the terrible cold. If they stay the course, they will stay together – but if either loses heart and leaves the sandy shore, then they are finished as a couple.

Well, perhaps there are no prizes for guessing whether they have cathartic rows and revelations and quirky serendipitous encounters with unusual people along the way. But the relationship between Jan and Wanda looks very real as they trudge along the vast and freezing seascape, like an ice-cold version of David Lean’s desert. And what does it all add up to? Perhaps not all that much: but it’s a charming and plausible relationship drama featuring people who look as if they might actually be in a relationship.

“The White Lotus,” Mike White’s black comedy anthology series, is back on HBO for a third season. Times staffers love an escape, but since we can’t take a trip to Thailand to stay at a luxury resort, the next best thing is to immerse ourselves in the new season. Follow along with us for each episode as we discuss theories, observations and our favorite moments leading up to the finale. (Read our recaps: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 and Episode 4.)

It’s a full moon over on “The White Lotus” and several characters are grappling with their awakening, spiritual or otherwise.

Things begin with Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), who after frantically poring over security camera footage for the missing handgun, concludes it’s Tim (Jason Isaacs) who swiped it. But his attempts to confront Duke’s finest white collar bandit are fumbled — Gaitok leaves the security kiosk unattended (again) and gets distracted by Mook (Lalisa Manobal) as she performs a traditional dance. (Gaitok, sweetie, a promotion is never going to happen this way!) When he does approach Tim in the bathroom, Gaitok lacks the imposing demeanor to intimidate him into fessing up to the theft, let alone returning the gun.

Victoria (Parker Posey), on the other hand, is concerned with a bullet that’s been fired at dinner. Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) finally tells her parents the real intention for the trip was to check out a Buddhist meditation center she plans to join for a year. Tim is in a fog of lorazepam and dread, so the news barely registers, but its a SOO-NAH-ME of emotions for Victoria, who, unlike her husband, can’t temper her reaction with pills. It leads to another Grade A unchristian-like meltdown from the matriarch who is convinced the center could be a sex cult — ala NXIVM — and is not impressed that the monk who runs it has authored books: “So, Charles Manson wrote books! Bill Clinton wrote books. The list goes on. Hillary Clinton wrote five books … Look at the Catholics! Organized religion and deviant sex can go hand in hand.”

The other Ratliff members — Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and the little magician (aka Lochy, played by Sam Nivola) — are chasing their own highs, with blender boy trying to hype his younger brother into some escapades with their female companions. Chloe tries to gauge Chelsea’s willingness to cheat on their respective bald(ing) white guys, but Chelsea scoffs at the idea. Chloe isn’t so opposed, even while eerily acknowledging: “Gary might kill me. I honestly think he’s capable of it.” The foursome wind up high on some happy pills that, before long, results in an incestuous smooch that seemingly leaves Lochy in a state of content and Saxon … well, it’s hard to ever know what’s going on in that head.

As Chelsea processes the sibling make-out sesh, Rick (Walton Goggins) is in Bangkok on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. He first meets up with a mysterious pal (Sam Rockwell) — maybe its Frank? — for an incredibly head-spinning catch-up session that touches on his sobriety, sexuality and spirituality. It leaves Rick flummoxed but he also can’t dwell on it too long because he needs another favor from this nameless friend, who brought a duffle bag full of items (a gun, among its contents) at Rick’s request as he carries out his plan.

Elsewhere, seeking their own wild adventures far away from the water guns and AARP crowd, Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon) are on the loose with Val (Arnas Fedaravičius) and his Russian besties at a night club, making small talk about ballet and dead parents. After a good stretch of dancing and drinking, the Super Soaked Trio decide to head back to their villa. Jaclyn suggests the men join them, much to the dismay of our bob-haired Independent voter. Once the rollicking at their villa’s pool is over and everyone turns in for the night, Jaclyn reaches out to Val — despite her endless pushing for Laurie to pursue him — for a luxury resort booty call. Jaclyn’s not alone in her late night rendezvous. When Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) learns from hotel manager Fabian (Christian Friedel) that Greg/Gary (Jon Gries) has been inquiring about her, she worries she’s in danger. Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) promises to keep her safe and lands in her bed in the process.

But distress was all Tim was experiencing in his corner of the White Lotus. Feeling the full weight of his situation, the former altar boy scrawls a short letter to his family — “I’m so sorry. I love you all.” — just before raising the handgun to his temple. But as a sleepy Victoria shuffles in, his plan is diverted. The episode closes out with Tim calling to a higher power: “Oh, please, God. Please. Tell me what to do.”

Now it’s time for Greg Braxton and Yvonne Villarreal, platinum-status members of “The White Lotus” frequent guest program, to break it all down. They’re joined by new charter member, Mary McNamara, who will ride out the rest of this season’s voyage.

Who do we think is the corpse this week? Does the gun in Rick’s possession change things?

McNamara: There were a lot of seemingly random shots in the opening scene, far too many for one handgun so it is possible that Rick’s gun makes it back to the hotel. The corpse in question appears to have dark hair and be dressed in gray or light blue. Zion flees from it, so it’s not Belinda. Tim has been rocking a lot of pastels (Isaacs in crisp linen is a high point of the series) and there would be irony in him contemplating suicide only to die in another way. But now I very much fear that it’s Pornchai; Belinda deserves a kind lover but this series is not big on happy endings. Either way, my scene-one theory remains fixed: Somehow a monkey gets hold of a gun (so many random shots) and some bright person (Gaitok?) is trying to play cowboy and shoot it. Result: mayhem.

Braxton: Although I had previously speculated that Chelsea was doomed because she felt she had cheated death twice during this vacation, I’m going to take a knee on any further predictions for now. In the previous two seasons, the victims seem to have been people who had made very poor choices which put them on a path to destruction. And almost every character in this episode makes some very, very horrible choices, so the field is wide open. Karma is coming.

Villarreal: I, too, have wondered if one of our monkey friends could be the gunslinger responsible for the shootout in the season’s opening scene. But I still think the floating corpse met death another way. I’m growing more suspicious of Saxon’s blender. Maybe someone whipped up a smoothie with the poisonous fruit to avoid detection? But I am also stuck on Victoria’s dependency on lorazepam and her mention of grand mal seizures. Could her withdrawal lead to her death?

Do you think Tim would feel this doomed about his involvement in a white-collar crime in 2025? What kind of life could the Ratliffs set up in Thailand if they never went back home?

McNamara: The fact that he’s so rattled leads me to believe he does not regularly commit fraud — he does not appear well lawyered-up — so yeah, maybe. If this were not “The White Lotus,” I would say Tim, and potentially the whole family, would join Piper on her monastic quest. But it is, so at this point, I’m assuming that Tim will somehow get away with whatever he’s done and they’ll all return home. Including Piper.

Braxton: Tim hit bottom at hyper-speed. It’s only been what, a couple of days at a lavish resort, and he’s gone from agreeable man on vacation to drug addiction to putting a gun to his head?

Villarreal: After last week’s episode and Victoria’s observation that the yacht was full of scammers and tax cheats — as her husband sat next to her, no less — it certainly feels like Piper’s grand plan to live in Thailand is signaling an extended family stay. Saxon will adjust to life fine if his blender is nearby. And Lochlan will be fine if Saxon is nearby. (Please don’t mistake my sarcasm for encouraging incest!) Tim can be some kind of boatie. Victoria would need to get her prescription refilled to keep her functioning in this setting for a prolonged time. I would demand a spin-off to see how this plays out. What if Victoria reaches enlightenment and helps that monk write a book?

What’s your read on Jaclyn’s behavior? Is it a midlife crisis?

McNamara: I don’t love the “forty-something actress needs to prove she’s still hot” storyline (possibly because we OD’d on it with “The Substance”), but I do like the simmering high-school tensions between the three women because high school is forever. One of my favorite images from this episode is Kate, sober in her jammies but trying to appear game while Jaclyn and Laurie cavort with the Russians before finally calling “bedtime.” I feel you, Kate!

Braxton: Both Jaclyn and Chelsea seem to crave validation from men for them to feel good about themselves, which is not terribly progressive. Chelsea is miserable without Rick, who is not nice to her, while Jaclyn is frustrated that she can’t get a call back from her significant other. They could both use a talking-to from Piper, who is trying to get to the essence of her identity without male validation. But in the end, what happens at the White Lotus stays at the White Lotus.

Villarreal: As someone who feels like I’ve been slapped by Mother Time when I learn someone was born in the 2000s, I get it. And, sure, the pressure is heightened for someone like Jaclyn because her job as an actress is to look young and glamorous. Plus, her younger hot husband is leaving her on read. It’s just funny to me that the woman who is lugging a ludicrously capacious Erewhon tote bag — by the way, that detail led me down this rabbit hole — to a nightclub is spiraling this much on vacation over that.

Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) takes the party home from the club.

(Fabio Lovino/HBO)

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What do you make of the story Rick’s friend shared over chamomile tea? And how are you feeling about the addition of Rockwell to the cast?

McNamara: I have watched that scene like four times because it is such an off-the-chain exploration of privilege, not to mention addiction, and a master class in acting. Rockwell deserves an Emmy for best delivery of most bizarre over-drinks-catch-up in the history of television. Here’s hoping his character makes his way to the White Lotus (to maybe hook up with real-life wife Bibb?), in which case, I might have to ditch my “monkey with a gun” theory. Or not.

Braxton: Off the chain? In a season that has already highlighted jaw-dropping moments like Tim’s accidental “package” reveal, that whole sequence seemed so abruptly dark and extreme. I felt I was watching a different show. Hopefully there is a point to that interaction other than shock value and Rick reacting in slack-jawed silence. If I had been reconnecting over drinks with a friend I hadn’t seen in awhile, and he lays down a story out of the blue with the detail of how he’s hiring a strange woman watch him have drug-fueled bizarro sex, punctuated with the line, “I am her, and I’m f— me,” I would not be happy having that visual in my head. Not your usual, “I’m having a drink with the guys.” At that point, it would have been “Waiter, check!” or “Could I have another, and make it a double? Forget that. Just bring the bottle!” It’s a lot.

Villarreal: I immediately messaged our editor and told her it felt like I watched an entire season of “Severance” in that one scene. “White Lotus” is all about exaggerated stereotypes and cultural conflicts and prejudices. And this reveal from Rockwell’s character, which touched on his experience with kathoey, Thailand’s ladyboys, who have long been part of the country’s cultural landscape, as a privileged westerner grappling with existential sexual curiosity and identity (or is he?) left a striking impression — as it was undoubtedly meant to do. The pairing of Rockwell and Goggins, simply sipping on scotch and chamomile tea as it all unfolded, was stunning to watch.

Do you think Chloe knows more than we suspect about Greg/Gary? And why would Fabian downplay Belinda’s concerns about him?

McNamara: Well, she obviously knows enough to be a bit afraid of him, but not enough to, you know, get the hell out. Fabian remains a conundrum — is he just a “don’t rock the boat” ladder-climber or is it more sinister? I still find it hard to believe that no one at this White Lotus knows about Tanya’s death, or Gary’s potential involvement. I feel like there would have been a corporate seminar or at least a memo.

Braxton: I’m still trying to figure out why Chloe and Gary/Greg are hanging out at the White Lotus when he has a fabulous house? And why the massive yacht since they apparently have no one to hang out with other than strangers from the resort. As for Fabian, he does not strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer. And is Belinda really that scared of Gary/Greg, or did she just want to find a clever excuse to get Pornchai into bed with her?

Villarreal: Greg, to your point, I feel like Greg/Gary may be some sort of secret investor in the White Lotus — because you’ll remember when that one retiree that repulsed Jaclyn at the other pool, she claimed she couldn’t get access to the White Lotus pool because she wasn’t a guest. If Gary/Greg isn’t a guest either, there has to be a reason they let him in … and maybe why Fabian is reluctant to assist Belinda in her suspicions about him? Or maybe he’s been given consolation vouchers after the death of Tanya? I don’t know how much Chloe knows about Greg/Gary’s past misdeeds, but I wonder if she’s clued in on his current plan and that’s where this awareness comes from? Are they scoping out the place, with Chloe always there to figure out its weak spots (Gaitok!) so they know where to make their grand move? It’s really getting hard carrying all these questions in my brain.

Is Gaitok more likely to get a promotion, land a date with Mook or die?

McNamara: Gaitok is absolutely the worst security guard ever. Despite the earlier robbery, he repeatedly abandons his post, not to mention leaving a loaded handgun out in the open. And then, when Tim stonewalls him about stealing a gun, Gaitok doesn’t respond with the obvious “dude, there’s video.” He just backs off. I mean, come on. Does he want blood on his hands? He doesn’t deserve any of these things but since “The White Lotus” is more about underlining injustice than resolving it, he might wind up achieving all three.

Braxton: Gaitok will wind up alone and working at the snake shop, driving snake-bitten customers to the hospital.

Villarreal: I need Gaitok to watch “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” to hype himself up in this role. The promotion will never happen. I can see him landing a date with Mook, only because it’ll be part of whatever grand plan she may be involved in. Because of the lack of screen time for Manobal, the Blackpink K-Pop singer and one of the most famous people in the world, it must mean there’s something up her sleeve that will reveal itself soon enough.

The Ratliff brothers (Sam Nivola, Patrick Schwarzenegger) get a little too close for comfort.

(Fabio Lovino/HBO)

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Do you think the Internet will be OK after the brother smooch?

McNamara: Um, no. The ick factor between the siblings has been pretty high already. It’s easy to hate Saxon and love Loch but something about their opposing swagger and innocence spells trauma to me. I’d say everyone needs to stay away from Chloe, who clearly thrives on stirring up trouble, but it’s obviously too late.

Braxton: It was a riff on “Challengers.” Almost expected Zendaya to show up.

Villarreal: I’m scared and I’m scarred.

Who gets your Best Facial Expression award this week?

McNamara: Rick, during his friend’s insane sexual identity story. Frozen panic struggling with non-judgmental empathy. I would give anything to see all the takes from that scene.

Braxton: Jaclyn’s wide-eyed “I just hit the lottery” amazement lying in bed after Val unveils his six-pack abs.

Villarreal: I’m with Mary. I felt like I was looking in the mirror when the camera panned to the evolution of Rick’s reactions to his friend’s story. The shift in his delivery of “really?” over a five-second span was perfection.

Movie Name : Ponman

Release Date : 14 March, 2025
123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Starring : Basil Joseph, Sajin Gopu, Lijomol Jose ,Deepak Parambol, Anand Manmadhan, Sandhya Rajendran, Rajesh Sharma, Kiran Peethambaran, Reju Sivadas, Jaya Kurupp, Midhun Venugopal, Thankam Mohan, Shylaja P Ambu
Director : Jothish Shankar
Producer : Vinayaka Ajith
Music Director : Justin Varghese
Cinematographer : Sanu John Varghese
Editor : Nidhin Raj Arol
Related Links : Trailer

Ponman, the latest Malayalam film starring Basil Joseph, has made its way to OTT and is now available in Telugu as well. Here’s our take on this dark comedy-drama.

Story:

PP Ajesh (Basil Joseph) has an unusual profession – he lends gold to families in need during weddings, helping them meet societal expectations. When he lends 25 sovereigns of gold to Steffi (Lijomol Jose), he expects an equivalent amount of money to be paid the day after the wedding. However, she refuses and moves to Kollam, her ruthless husband Mariyano’s (Sajin Gopu) hometown. Determined to reclaim what is rightfully his, Ajesh embarks on a risky journey. What challenges does he face? Why did he choose such a precarious profession? Was Mariyano aware of the deal? How does Steffi respond? The film unravels these answers intriguingly.

Plus Points:

Basil Joseph once again proves his knack for picking unique roles. Venturing into dark comedy with a socially relevant backdrop adds an interesting dimension to the film. His performance is compelling, effortlessly balancing humour and emotion.

Sajin Gopu delivers a powerful act as Mariyano, embodying an unpredictable and ruthless character. After making an impression in Aavesham, he surprises with a completely different persona, keeping the audience engaged.

Lijomol Jose makes a mark despite her limited screen presence, portraying Steffi with conviction. The supporting cast, including Anand Manmadhan and Sandhya Rajendran, adds depth to the narrative. The comedy woven into serious moments is a strong highlight of the film.

Minus Points:

While the first half lays a strong foundation, the second half falters in pacing, making the film feel sluggish. The writing loses its grip, leading to sequences that lack the intended impact.

Basil Joseph delivers a solid act, but given his track record in comedic roles, audiences might find it difficult to accept him in a serious setting. The character could have been better suited to an actor with a more intense screen presence.

Certain characters, especially Anand Manmadhan’s, start off well but eventually fade into the background. A more defined character arc would have enhanced their impact on the story.

The climax, which should have been a high point, instead feels abrupt and underwhelming. The final confrontation lacks intensity, and the resolution could have been more gripping.

Technical Aspects:

Director Jothish Shankar presents a decent effort, but a more refined screenplay and stronger character development could have elevated the film. Justin Varghese’s music is functional but doesn’t leave a lasting impression. Sanu John Varghese’s cinematography effectively captures the film’s setting, while Nidhin Raj Arol’s editing could have been sharper to maintain a tighter narrative. The production values are decent.

Verdict:

On the whole, Ponman presents a decent premise with a mix of dark comedy and social commentary. While Basil Joseph delivers a commendable performance, the film is weighed down by a slow second half, underdeveloped characters, and an abrupt climax. Despite its flaws, it offers a few engaging moments, making it a passable one-time watch for those who enjoy offbeat dramas.

123telugu.com Rating: 3/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team