331. Game Over; movie review

GAME OVER
Cert 18
102 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong sadistic violence

I always sit up and take notice when an Indian film has been handed an 18 certificate from the British Board of Film Classification because it is such a rarity.
As it happens, Game Over's violence does not appear to be any worse than many 15-certificate movies and is a sideline rather than a central element of a gripping movie.
Again Netflix came to my rescue in enabling me to catch up with a recommendation of one of everyfilm's keenest supporters.
I can't recall him ever giving me a bad steer and he is right on the money here.
Ashwin Saravanan's movie grabs from its opening sequences during which a young woman gasps for her last air after a plastic bag is pulled over her head by an intruder to her home.
It then moves on to Taapsee Pannu as a video game programmer who is afraid of the dark and suffers from post-traumatic stress after an incident a year previously.
Therefore, she lives in seclusion with her housemaid (Vinodhini Vaidyanathan) but, inevitably. her life becomes interwoven with that of the victim of the movie's opening.
Game Over is eerie from the start and is much better than the average creepy thriller.
Its style of repeating key scenes with nuanced differences gives a bit of a Groundhog Day feel, albeit definitely not as a comedy.
It works because it adds to the heat of a movie which is already simmering nicely.
Pannu is in fine form as the victim, occasionally helpless but also trying hard to find the reserves which will help her defeat her fears.
And it Saravanan's movie certainly doesn't outstay its welcome at a tight 102 mins.
It offers evidence that a big budget is not always needed in Bollywood.

Reasons to watch: Eerie thriller
Reasons to avoid: Its high-level violence

Laughs: None
Jumps: Two
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Taapsee Pannu runs The Wedding Factory which organises events and weddings alongside with business partner Farah Parvaresh and her sister, Shagun Pannu.

Final word. Taapsee Pannu: "The way I saw it was - Game Over is about fighting your inner demons all by yourself and no one is going to help you. Life won’t let you go without a fight." The News Minute

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