We only skim through the lives of Vasanth and Aaranya initially but Black ensures to pack in little details – their cute moments of love, their slight insecurities, the instability in their relationship dynamics, etc – that make us care for them. For instance, when someone breaks their car glass, a short-tempered Vasanth seeks revenge. Aaranya is disappointed with how he reacted but is also quite happy that he didn’t simply ignore those men’s vile actions. Likewise, we clearly understand Aaranya’s feelings but Vasanth is written to be a mysterious man. It’s to debutant Balasubramani KG’s writing that when you see Vasanth carry a sleep-inducing drug on their vacation, you know he cares for Aaranya but there is a speck of doubt about his plans. These writing choices that help you empathise with the lead characters are accentuated by sincere performances. While Jiiva leaves a mark in his comeback especially when Vasanths from multiple worlds meet, Priya Bhavani Shankar is on her game as Aaranya, making Black a good addition to her filmography along with Demonte Colony 2. Devoid of the usual distressed damsel arcs, Priya gets to flex her acting chops.
Initially, the eeriness of the villas is created for a horror effect, forcefully making us feel fear for the lead couple. But the makers soon eschew with this approach, a good call that makes Black a thriller that rides fully on chaos and suspense. You just always know that they are not in fatal danger but are stuck in a night you would never want to be in, which keeps you invested in their adventures.
Whenever the couple cross a black space, something strange happens. The explanation for this and the events that follow are cramped into a single scene that comes a little too late. So, say even though there is something about this moon as we guessed, the reveal doesn’t create any effect. The innovativeness in tying the knots is not really felt when the makers try to untangle it, dulling the second half. The background score too is overpowering in a lot of places making it difficult to distinguish the organic, strange sounds within the film’s world.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of clever writing and staging choices that make Black gripping. Vasanth and Aaranya keep shuttling between the same rooms, villas and roads. Yet, you don’t find the scenes repetitive. Even when the same scene plays again, there’s a different perspective to it (on all technical fronts), which gives an added layer of information and intrigue. You are not only drawn into this world as soon as the film begins but hardly find time to get distracted midway. It’s because Black manages to take you on an exciting time-loop ride that even if you find some loopholes, you are more than willing to build your own theories. It also gives you the best of the experience by rightly choosing to not unscramble a few knots. A black patch like this with no answers is sometimes a good place to be in.
Rating – 3.5/ 5
