Connect Movie Review: Nayanthara outshines in the horror despite the limited jump scares!

Ashwin Saravanan’s directorial movie Connect was released today and the movie has not disappointed. Nayanthara reunited with Ashwin for Connect after Maya and this venture is financed by Vignesh Shivan.

Plot

Susan Joseph (Nayanthara) and her family are having the time of their life at a beach resort when due to Covid-19, her doctor husband, Joseph (Vinay Rai), gets called back to work urgently. Joseph works tirelessly to provide care for the Covid infected patients while Susan and her daughter Anna aka Ammu (Haniya Nafisa) are confined in their home. They can only interact with Joseph and Susan’s father, Arthur (Sathyaraj) through the internet and video calls. Unfortunately, like several Covid warriors, Joseph contacts Covid and passes away.

Ammu, who never got the chance to hold her father even during his last breath decides to reach out to him through a séance with an Ouija board. However, this is when things go downhill.

What works?

Connect

The pandemic angle and the effect of Covid shown in the movie are very relatable for the viewers. The anguish felt by every citizen, the battle of medical professionals, and the impact on their families make the viewers connected. The entire movie is based on the relationship between Ammu and Joseph and considering how a daughter is depraved with the chance to connect with her father during his deathbed, this angle brings more emotions to the story.

Coming to the cast, Nayanthara’s performance in the movie and Haniya Nafisa’s impactful acting bring more flavor to the movie. Likewise, Sathyaraj and Anupam Kher’s performances help to elevate the movie even more. Lastly, the cinematography by Manikantan Krishnamachary and the music by Prithivi Chandrasekhar compliments the movie well to bring out the horror flavor more.

What doesn’t work?

Connect

Ashwin has focused more on the father-daughter connection and jumped straight to the horror angle robbing the viewers of connecting with the mother-daughter bond. The aftereffect of Joseph’s death on their bond is not fully explored with makes the emotional impact a bit limited.

Overall

Connect

Overall, the movie is good, it is entertaining. The performance from the actors is great, the technical crew has also done a good job, and Ashwin has also managed to keep the viewers engaged for 99 minutes by centering only on 4 characters.