0-41* (2016)

Set in the small town of Kanhangad in Northern Kerala, 0-41* is a story of real people with dramatized re-enactments of actual events in their lives intertwined with director's observations of life. A bunch of local youth are closely knit by a game of volleyball every evening. Rajesh and Vipin lead the two teams when a seemingly endless losing streak sets Rajesh and his team on a trail of disbelief and dejection. Over the course of six days, the film draws a subtle parallel between the losing streak and the lives of these youth. Using real life incidents as a canvas, 0-41* ponders on questions about rural vs urban living, government apathy, generation gap, mental health, alcoholism as well as questions one's faith and relationship with God, with the life in small town India providing a vivid backdrop. This feature length experimental Malayalam film is a neorealist/documentary style with a troupe of non-actors who play their real life characters, blurring the boundaries between drama and reality.