‘Story of Things’ series review: An ingenious supernatural anthology that leaves you wanting more

(L to R) Bharat, Aditi Balan, Ritika Singh, Shantanu Bhagyaraj and Vinoth Kishan in a still from ‘Story of Things’ | Photo Credit: Sony Liv

Everything interesting about the supernatural goes beyond the Carnet world. And we’ve seen horror titles where, like the tangible human body, inanimate materials are used as mediums for the supernatural. We got two movies in 2009, aram And yavarum nalam, who relished the idea. The latter also had a mobile phone hijacked by a spirit as a medium to the human world, and so did 2020. dark house,

Ditto with Sony LIV’s latest anthology series story of things, in which writer-director George K Antony gives life to inanimate objects in different forms to tell five different stories. Here too, we see a mobile phone becoming a supernatural portal. Although, story of things It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, and here, material things take the foreground and are used as more than just gimmicks. Besides horror, other sub-genres of speculative fiction are also touched upon. The original idea and format are used to their advantage, and George taps into the peculiar situations that can arise when ordinary objects behave unusually. That’s primarily the series’ goal – this isn’t a typical horror series meant to give you gore/jump scares or darkness scares – and it’s fascinating how each of these stories explores specific emotions.

For example, in Weight Scale, a typical story elevates into something vaguely paranormal as it explores crime and penance. When Ram (Bharath) and Titus (Linga), aspiring actors, are close to grabbing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a moment of carelessness puts a stranger’s life in danger. Riddled with guilt, Titus urges Ram to surrender to the police, but Ram refuses to give up on the ambitious life he longs for. Things take a sinister turn when the latter finds a weighing device in his late grandmother’s belongings. weighs His sins apart from the weight of his body.

Weight Scale is the first of five stories, and it sets the mood for the rest of the series quite well. in compressor, the stakes are pushed a bit further through the air conditioning unit that refuses to shut down. When Raghu (Roju) receives a bundle of cash, he asks his live-in girlfriend Shruti (Ritika Singh) to either plan a vacation for the two of them, or buy an air conditioner. She buys a second hand AC and the item starts bothering Raghu. When he suddenly goes missing, Shruti begins an investigation.

compressorhowever, the weakest of the five stories in terms of depth and innovation. car And cellularOn the other hand, are more classical in their approach to style. in cellularA routine tale of our times about a controlling mother (Gautami) and a daughter who yearns to be free takes an unexpected, scary turn. Raised in the shadow of her mother, Vannamayil (Aditi Balan) decides to do as she pleases for once, and misfortune strikes. But Vannamayil gets scared in her life when she gets a call from another world.

in between, car Britto (Shantanu Bhagyaraj) is on a valiant quest to overcome his abusive father (Siddique) and his fear of cars. Every time his mother questioned his father for beating him, little Brito would be locked in his car by his father with a watchman standing guard. Inside that dark and dirty car, Britto’s fear manifests itself in many forms. Decades later, Britto decides to fight back, but the ghosts of his past return.

Both of these stories delve into the psyche of the protagonists and let them deal with the trauma that a relationship with a parent brings. In Vannamayil’s case, it is his dependence on his mother and the guilt of wanting independence that punishes him. Even as he chooses to overcome his phobia and deal with his past, Brito’s journey has layers of pain, and he has to deal with the very foundation he grew up with. In addition to being a medium for the paranormal in these stories, physical things also become metaphors.

George saves his best for last, and we get a beautiful story of how a little girl becomes a friend to a broke college student. After being thrown out of his hostel, Sethu (Vinoth Kishan), who is suffering from a terrible break-up, moves into the attic of an old house. He questions his own sanity for a moment when a ten-year-old girl named Nazia speaks to him through an old dresser mirror. Mirror, The final episode in the series is upbeat and heartwarming; It’s also interesting how George maintains a lot of ambiguity and only lets the emotions speak.

It’s impressive how consistent the storytelling is throughout the series and how the overall theme anchors them all. It is also lovely to see the filmmakers using silence and background score well; The music, composed by Madly Blues (Harish Venkat & Prashanth Techno), and the sound design also complement the writing.

story of things One of those rare titles that leaves you wanting more. The concept itself does half the job, and one can think of many possibilities that come out of it.

Story of Things is currently streaming on Sony LIV