The Priest Review: A Highly Appealing Mystery-Thriller!

Jofin T. Chacko’s The Priest is a 2021 Malayalam-language horror mystery film that travels through the journey of Father Benedict which is explored during an investigation. Produced by Anto Joseph and B. Unnikrishnan, Mammootty plays the title role along with a prominent ensemble including Manju Warrier, Nikhila Vimal, and Saniya Iyappan. With a runtime of 146 minutes, the film unravels the gripping tale of an investigation and the mysterious events in the aftermath.

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The storyline of The Priest begins with Father Carmen Benedict (Mammootty), who invests his time assisting the Police in finding major clues for crimes, and subsequently, he comes across an investigation that revolves around a series of suicides. The first half of the story centers around finding the key to unlock the mystery behind the deaths and the quest of Father Benedict.

Upon concluding the investigation, Father Benedict gets attached to the loose ends of Ameya Gabriel (Baby Monica), whom he encountered during the investigation. Ameya is a self-contained young girl who doesn’t have a motto to do something in her life. Her life is thrown into some light with the arrival of Jessy Teacher (Nikhila Vimal) and the storyline takes-off to a few darker proceedings in the second half.

Jofin T. Chacko’s story concept in The Priest is elevated with a well-narrated script work by Shyam Menon and Deepu Pradeep. The thrills arrive early in the film, accompanied by a quickly paced narrative, and the first half ends on a high note. With the film changing its tone in the second half, the narration gets elaborative, presenting new levels to the story. Even with the slow narration, the movie captivated me with the enigmatic story beats.

Cinematography by Akhil George elevated The Priest to soaring standards with stunning night visuals. Stitching the pieces into a good narrative, the editing work by Shameer Muhammed complemented well with the visual. The production design by Sujith Raghav had a pivotal role in delivering the mesmerizing visuals and Rahul Raj’s background score matched the mood of the film and the songs were too immersive and did not break the flow of the narrative.

With the majority of screen time, Megastar Mammootty was mesmerizing as the Priest, and broke the conventions in the Malayalam Film Industry. Baby Monica was admirably skillful in portraying the child who lives around insecurities, with emotional elements enacted to at-most perfection. Another remarkable performance was by Nikhila Vimal along with the veteran actress Manju Warrier, who played a crucial role in the second half.

Overall, The Priest is an appealing mystery thriller that engages the audience with the engrossing visual charisma by ‘Megastar’ Mammootty. A theatrical experience that you shouldn’t miss!

Rating – 3.75/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Anto Joseph Film Company

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