Balan

Balan: The Boy

*Balan: The Boy* follows a mother and her son as they keep moving from one place to another after her release from prison. What starts as a story about their relationship takes a different turn midway, and the way the film brings that thread back towards the end is one of its biggest strengths. The fresh faces in the cast work well, especially Farzana Palathingal and Mohammed Sinan, while Tovino Thomas also gets an interesting role. Shyju Khalid’s visuals and Sushin Shyam’s background score add nicely to the mood. After *Manjummel Boys*, Chidambaram could have gone for something much bigger, but *Balan: The Boy* stays focused on its characters and story, and that works in its favour.