JALLIKATTU Midnight

Like the ferocious beast at the center of JALLIKATTU that eludes capture by an entire village of pursuers, Malayalam filmmaker Lilo Jose Pellissery breaks through the passivity of the movie-going experience with this fresh, totally original vision of contemporary Indian cinema.

When a buffalo escapes in a village in the tropical state of Kerala, all hell breaks loose as dozens of men try in vain to wrestle it under control. A teeming world of base human behavior is also unleashed as long-simmering rivalries, jealousies and other human frailties are exposed and rubbed raw over the course of this endless night of vigilante justice enacted against the rampaging buffalo. JALLIKATTU is a unique, adrenaline-fueled, brilliantly imagined and highly experiential spectacle that pulsates with energy from start-to-finish. –Ken Jacobson