“The Crossroads” is the sort of movie you get when you park two attractive but bland young actors on a modestly scenic piece of real estate and take romance pretty much off the table.

A stunningly dull chat-a-thon of silences, evasive question-and-answer conversations, abrupt, contrived arguments, literary name dropping and cliched third act “diagnoses” explaining much of what’s come before, it’s as good an argument as any against “keeping things simple,” tuning out the outside world and such.

You’d die of boredom.

Emily Coupe arrives at the titular filling station/convenience store/diner on the border between Arizona and New Mexico, jumps out of a car with her backpack, guitar, torn tight jeans and pink hair extensions, only to be “rescued” by “a cowboy” played by Nick Ballard.

“Star” is her name. She wants to be a singer-songwriter. But she’s fled LA, heading for “Dubuque.” Not that she gives this away any time soon.

Logan isn’t especially friendly, but he offers her a lift in his ancient Ford pickup, talks about “weather comin’” (We can see the skies. Nope.) and takes her to his remote farmhouse.

Don’t get your hopes up. This isn’t a horror movie.

Star is closed-off, working out some things. Logan is shut-down, dealing with his own issues. The script has them spend 95 minutes doling out even the tiniest hint of information about their names, their backgrounds, the time setting we’re dealing with and the problems they’re struggling to overcome.

Director Douglas A. Raine and screenwriter Ginia Desmond break that fundamental convenant they’re honor bound to take with the audience. Tell us what your movie is about, tell us who the characters are and don’t bore us to death waiting around for something — ANYthing — to happen.

Only somebody who thinks leaving LA for Dubuque is a fun idea could conjure up a leading lady dense enough to say “A clothesline? I’ve never used one.” Even if you haven’t, honey, there’s no danged sense admitting it.

Only a “cowboy” who hides his rodeo trophies in haystacks, who actually farms “hemp” now (not that we see “work” of any sort) when he isn’t reading “The Invisible Man” (H.G. Wells, 1897), with the Quran and select works of Carl Jung on his DIY bookshelves, could offer up this as a comeback.

“You’ll have to figure it out.”

Rating: profanity, adult subject matter

Cast: Nick Ballard, Emily Coupe

Credits: Directed by Douglas A. Raine, scripted by Ginia Desmond. A Desktop Entertainment release on FreeVee, Amazon Prime, etc.

Running time: 1:35

Mura is a Malayalam action thriller directed by Muhammad Musthafa and produced by Rhea Shibu under the HR Pictures banner. Featuring Hridu Haroon, Anujith, Yedu Krishna, and Jobin Das in lead roles, the film released in theaters on November 8, garnering a positive response. It became available for streaming on Amazon Prime from December 25, 2024. Let’s dive into the plot and analysis of this gripping thriller.

Plot Summary:
The story revolves around four close friends – Anand (Hridu Haroon), Shaji (Jobin Das), Manu (Yedu Krishna), and Manav (Anujith). Anand comes from a middle-class family, while the rest hail from lower-middle-class backgrounds. Struggling with studies and responsibilities, the group often resorts to reckless escapades. To meet their financial needs, they ally with local gangsters.

Their association leads them to Ane (Suraj Venjaramoodu), a trusted henchman of gangster Ramadevi (Mala Parvathi). Impressed by their fearlessness, Ane assigns them a high-stakes mission to retrieve hidden black money from Madurai. What happens during this mission and how it changes their lives forms the crux of the story.

Analysis:
Mura captures the essence of youthful recklessness and camaraderie. Suresh Babu’s story brings to life the struggles of four young men navigating life’s challenges with misplaced priorities. The screenplay keeps the narrative tight, seamlessly blending action and emotion without overdramatizing.

The first half establishes the boys’ bonding and their initial forays into the gangster world, while the second half delves into their confrontation with larger forces. The transitions feel organic, and the film maintains a naturalistic tone throughout, drawing audiences into the emotional journey of its protagonists.

Performances:
The four lead actors excel in portraying their characters, embodying the mannerisms and attitudes of rebellious youth with authenticity. Their performances feel spontaneous and genuine, enhancing the film’s realism.

Suraj Venjaramoodu and Mala Parvathi deliver solid performances, effortlessly adding gravitas to their roles as seasoned criminals.

Technical Aspects:
Cinematography: Fazil Nazar’s visuals stand out, particularly in action and chase sequences, elevating the overall tension.
Music and Background Score: Christy Joby’s background score is a significant strength, with the theme music being a notable highlight.
Editing: Chaman Chacko’s crisp editing ensures there’s no room for unnecessary scenes, maintaining a steady pace throughout.

Final Verdict:
Mura is an engaging action thriller that combines raw emotion with edge-of-the-seat moments. It successfully delivers a message about the importance of making the right choices in life and the consequences of veering off the moral path. Despite minor flaws, the film’s grounded approach and impactful storytelling make it a worthwhile watch.

The premise

The two actors play next-door neighbours whose lives become interlinked with guilt, tragedy, and manipulations. The premise has it all: campiness, costumes, and a spiral of melodrama. But alas, the result is a movie too sunlit, too heavy-handed, and a bit too serious for its own good.

Celine (Anne Hathaway) and Alice (Jessica Chastain) are suburban housewives who become the best of friends, understanding each other’s dreams and moods like long-lost sisters. Alice is holding together well considering how delicate her condition was at one point, and Celine provides her able support- two women who share the joys and worries of motherhood. Their pitch-perfect lives come crashing down with the shocking death of Celine’s son Max (Baylen D Bielitz), who slips and falls from his home’s balcony above. Alice blames herself, and Celine can no longer stand to face her.

This devastating loss tears apart the domestic idyll of Celine and Alice’s lives. Celine’s husband Damian (Josh Charles) takes to the bottle, and their relationship gets a little worse every passing day. Her depression threatens to ruin the façade that the neighbours try to pull in the months after, even as Alice cannot seem to understand how to save a friend.

What works

Alice has her own anxieties along the way, which become more real as she realizes that Celine might be plotting something way more sinister behind those empty stares. Her husband Simon (Anders Danielsen Lie) does not believe her. Is she daydreaming? Can this be real?

Mother’s Instinct has so much potential to be one of those campy, highly entertaining yet morbid psychodrama of the year that make for a perfect repeat watch. However, the telling lacks nuance and a keen eye for character. The tone, often punctuated with brightly lit frames of pastel-coloured outfits, rings decidedly off to pull this melodrama to its pulpiest potential.

Final thoughts

Jessica Chastain is wonderful in the rather thankless part and makes Alice’s fragility her greatest weapon. She is matched beautifully by Hathaway’s razor-sharp assessment of Celine—a woman slowly losing a sense of herself. One wishes they had the chance to go more theatrical with these roles; these women had all the elements to go for a Joan Crawford-Bette Davis-like dirt-slinging. However, it lacks the killer instinct of a Hitchcockian thriller.

Nevertheless, Mother’s Instinct manages to be a willingly safe melodrama that settles its dust without much trouble.

Mother’s Instinct is now available to watch on Lionsgate Play.