A slew of new releases, including a screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Hallowe'en Party featuring Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, hit the cinemas this weekend even as Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan continues to its box office onslaught. Here’s a look.
A Haunting in Venice (English)
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jude Hill and Jamie Dornan.
A Haunting in Venice marks the latest addition to Kenneth Branagh's Agatha Christie cinematic series — a reimagining of her 1969 detective tale Hallowe'en Party. It unfolds within a decaying Venetian palazzo, rumoured to house the spirits of children who had perished during a plague outbreak in the past. The locale sets the perfect atmosphere for an All Hallows’ Eve party hosted by opera soprano Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly). Renowned medium Mrs Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) attempts to contact Rowena’s daughter Alicia, who tragically drowned in the canal a year earlier, at the event. When a guest meets a fatal end during the séance, Hercule Poirot is summoned to investigate.
Mark Antony (Tamil)
Directed by: Adhik Ravichandran
Cast: Vishal, Sunil and S.J. Suryah
Mark (Vishal), a proficient mechanic from a family of gangsters, unexpectedly encounters a time-travelling phone. This remarkable device presents him with an opportunity to rescue his estranged mother from a bleak destiny. However, Mark finds himself in a precarious situation as he grapples with the potentially perilous repercussions of altering historical events and confronts his family’s criminal history.
Smugglers (Korean)
Directed by: Ryoo Seung-wan
Cast: Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min, Kim Jong-soo and Go Min-si.
Set in the 1970s within a tranquil coastal village, the narrative centres on the daring exploits of haenyeo — traditional Korean female divers — ensnared in a web of illicit trade. The serene town of Guncheon was transformed overnight by the arrival of a chemical plant, displacing the haenyeo from their livelihoods. Among them, Chun-ja (Kim Hye-soo) emerges as a determined fighter, seeking a new means of survival. She stumbles upon the clandestine realm of smuggling, alluring the fearless haenyeo leader, Jin-sook (played by Yum Jung-ah), with a tempting proposition.
Asukhwala - The Pain Hawker (Bengali)
Directed by: Palash Dey
Cast: Sayan Ghosh, Sneha Chatterjee and Amit Saha
After winning accolades at film festivals around the world, Asukhwala — The Pain Hawker, helmed by Palash Dey, gets a theatrical release in Kolkata. The film tells the story of Rudra Mondal (Sayan Ghosh), a pharmacist whose life revolves around medicines. Despite his best efforts, Rudra’s wife Mishti (Sneha Chatterjee) is unable to conceive, which leads to a cold war between the two. Rudra’s obsession with medicines makes him lose his ability to distinguish between the real and the imaginary world. As Rudra continues to lose balance in his personal life, he is forced to close shop due to the tragic death of one of his customers. The movie explores how this throws his life into a toss.
