Aattam
A theater troupe of actors stage a play, it's appreciated and lauded by artsy gorafolk imbibing Indian culture. As a mark of their appreciation, the expat art enthusiasts handover their property, along with its caretaker, to the troupe to let their hair down for a success bash of sorts. The troupe gets together, alcohol starts flowing, things get a little rowdy, people are flung into the swimming pool, and as all parties do this one too simmers down as the participants call it a night. Cut to the next morning the lone female artiste in the troupe exits the premises early in the morning leaving other members of the troupe slightly befuddled but not altogether disturbed in any manner. One of the male artistes, who unbeknownst to the others is in a relationship with the female artist, seeks her out to understand the reason for the hasty exit and is summarily informed that she was groped (read sexually harassed) by the lead actor and therefore decided to leave because she felt unsafe. And then the Aattam ensues.
Over a 2-hr period the director brilliantly showcases how the remaining troupe members, setting aside the victim and the supposed pepetrator, try to comprehend, maneuver and manage the situation. The director expertly steers and veers us through a cauldron including but not limited to - victim shaming, perpetrator shaming, taking one for the team for the greater good, regressive stereotypes et al.
Aattam at its core, however, is a scathing social commentary on society and it's constituent individuals' innate and inherent inability to let go of their biases while forming opinions, opinions that could make or break society at large when a crime is committed. Such situations merit objective and unemotional discussion and fact-finding layered with maturity, humanity and fairness - all in short supply not just within reel life but in real life too.
The supposed perpetrator, the near-caricaturish and instantly dislikeable lead actor is unanimously presumed guilty - in a clear example of the Halo/Hero effect - chap is a ham, is incorrigible and a pain to bear - therefore he must have done it. The opinion regarding the veracity of the victim's claim takes an even more convoluted path as the inherent bias of each individual artiste comes to the fore as each one frames their opinion based on their own rapport with the lady and in a disturbingly selfish manner. The real gut punch though is the utter lack of empathy among all the characters as each seems to be operating with their own individual agenda.
While the movie is shot with the female character being the victim, the way I see it it could easily have been the other way around. My intent is not to trifle the sexual harassment that millions of women world over have suffered for ages and truly deserve true justice for, but in current times it's no longer restricted to one gender. Our world now caters to multiple genders, each brimming over with equally heartbreaking and unsavory incidents of harrassment. Aattam is a resounding slap across the face of a society that doesn't know how to treat victims.
An absolute must watch.
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