Psycho HD Released

Mysskin’s Psycho begins with Albert Maslov’s quote: We are simultaneously gods and worms. And that is what his antagonist – his psycho – Angulimala is – a God, albeit a ruthless one, in front of his victims, and a worm, in the presence of the person who has turned him into this version of himself. Anguli hacks his victims – always female – and collects their heads as trophies. And that is why he kidnaps Dakini (Aditi Rao Hydari, who brings the right amount of vulnerability and tenacity), a radio jockey, who is about to accept the love of Gautham (Udhayanidhi Stalin, OK-ish), a visually challenged man, whom she had initially turned down for stalking her. But he is unable to kill Dakini, whose calmness while facing her death unsettles him. And when she tells him that Gautham will find him, even if she dies, he takes it as a challenge thrown to him. But, can Gautham, given his disability, track him down?

Psycho is everything that we expect in a Mysskin film. First-rate filmmaking combines with perceptive writing to give us a unique experience. And the film is filled with the moments that have become this filmmaker’s signatures – eccentric supporting characters, like a rude quadriplegic former cop (a fantastic Nithya Menen), a cop (Ram, in an underwritten role) who sings AM Raja songs, the long tracking shots, the action taking place mostly at night, the gallows humour, a universe where disabled characters and sex workers are treated with dignity…

In his pre-release interviews, Mysskin has said that he was inspired to make Psycho after coming across the redemptive story of Angulimala in Buddhism. And he uses the skeletal structure of that story to build his Psycho. Mysskin shows us the cruelty of Anguli’s acts. We repeatedly get shots of Anguli cutting off his victims’ heads, the splatter of blood, the heads rolling on the floor, the headless corpse displayed in public, and the pain of the victims’ families. And then, he wants us to see if we can find it in ourselves to empathise with the killer. This is where Psycho differs from a conventional serial killer film, like say, a Ratsasan. He is not after the thrills that a whodunit offers (though the film does offer us thrilling moments) but is exploring something deeper, more psychological. But this is where the film feels underwhelming. Dakini instantly starts empathising with Anguli, and the scene where she discovers his vulnerable side, doesn’t feel personal because of the grand theatricality. As for Gautham, we never really get to see what he feels towards the man who has kidnapped the love of his life, and when he acts kindly towards him, it becomes difficult for us to but his actions. And the final scenes are somewhat rushed, so we do not feel the intensity of Anguli’s repentance. You expect an emotional punch in the gut, as in Pissasu, but only get something feeble.