One for all, all for one - Hive living makes for some interesting connections. The ability to zoom in and out of a particular cell revealing the micro and the macro of the hive, indicates that the crowd dynamic is always much more interesting than just the interpersonal, with each cell affecting the other in unknown and profound ways, leading for some very interesting results. In cinema, if done right, the crowd work, with its own distinct characteristic operating on its own rhythm, catalyses the main proceedings at important junctures. Consider these "hive" comedies from the British film maker, Richard Curtis ("Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Notting Hill", "Love Actually" etc). In them, the lead pair are really not the only lead pair, per se. They are only one part of a whole that hums and drones at its frequency, as several other, just as vital pairs, chime in with their own creaks and moans, all creating a wonderful buzz of strange symphony around the hive. This is what is true "Crowd Funding" cinema.
"Bethlehem Kutumba Unit" is exactly the sum of (or, may be a bit more than) all its wonderful parts. Not a character is wasted, nor one is there just to fill the frame. All the formulaic tropes - the drunkard father, the evil uncle, the hero's friends gang, the wise-cracking brother - all get meaty parts, and all of them have (the nouveau phrase) "agency". They do not remain, nor wait around, as functional aides for the lead pair. They all have aspirations of their own, and lead lives independent of the lead pair, and interesting things happen at the intersections and interactions with the lead pair, not at script-timed moments centered around the hero and the heroine, being called for controlled demolitions of plot conveniences. What a splendid job by the writer duo creating such a vivid phalanx of etched characters, which makes turning away the focus from the lead pair an anticipatory affair, almost. Just when all the hive looks like it has all it needs, the script throws in the evil uncle, and the comic villain, and even they stick the landing. (The uncle in the beggar setup, the villain in the Kathakali/Kanthara mode bring the house down). And it is not just the writing that sparkles...
"Bethlehem..." succeeds because of its relentless pacing - the rapidfire repartees, the breathless editing and the background score that keep up (with) the pace - the masterful direction needs to be commended for realizing that a comedy around a bunch of characters needs to puppeteered with precise timing and orchestrated at breakneck speed to work. Play the whole movie on mute and the proceedings could be mistaken for a thriller, the pacing is that frantic. This is a very un-Malayalam like fare, known for its deliberate movement, and more in the territory of 'Crazy Mohan - Kamal Hasan' combo of the 90s (think "Michael Madana Kama Rajan"). In the rom-com genre, there are a few indispensables - the meet and greet of the lead pair, the mandatory break up and the eventual getting back together. How many more interesting ways, than all thousands and thousands that have come before, can these indispensables be handled, without appearing trite and obligatory? And "Bethlehem..." finds a new way, one built around age disparity and yet based on true common interests. In fact, the lead pair is handled with such maturity, as bringing them together doesn't appear forced, acknowledging the gaping (age) chasm between the two, and still turning that to its advantage pitting the awkward man against the mature girl (a sly wink to the 'Premam' mid-segment, (same actor as) the awkward younger boy against his mature and slightly older love interest). And what a wonderful performance by Mamatha Baiju, as the lone island of melancholy, in an ocean filled with zany.
Making a feel-good feature without appearing forced, nor taking too many liberties, "Bethlehem..." is formula done right. And thank the entire "guDuma unit" hive for it, both on the screen and behind it...
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