Sukhamano Sukhamann Movie Review

There is an arresting idea at the heart of Sukhamano Sukhamann. What if the simple question, “Sukhamano? (Are you alright?)” truly mattered? What if it was never asked at all? Debutant director Arunlal Ramachandran builds his film around loneliness, not as spectacle but as a quiet, persistent ache. The sincerity is evident, and there are moments of genuine warmth. Yet the film never quite reaches the emotional depth it strives for, settling instead for a half-formed treatment of themes it clearly wishes to explore with seriousness.

At first glance, one might expect a horror comedy. Theo (Mathew Thomas) drives an ambulance and is labelled “mental” by his town. After transporting bodies to funerals, he begins seeing the deceased. They visit his home and gradually become the family he never had. It sounds like a supernatural romp, but this is not that kind of film. These are not real ghosts. Theo’s fractured mind, shaped by childhood trauma following his father’s suicide, conjures them as emotional substitutes for love and belonging.

This premise could have made for a tender, magical realist drama. At times, it nearly does. However, the storytelling feels mechanical, as though it is ticking thematic boxes rather than unfolding organically. Some scenes, in particular, feel logically disconnected, inserted less out of narrative necessity and more as emotional triggers. The film wants to speak about depression and isolation, yet it rarely lands with the weight it intends.

Theo’s world widens when he meets Iype (Jagadish), a cemetery caretaker with a familiar, tragic backstory. Once a police officer, he served time in prison for his son’s crime, only to be abandoned by that same son later. Then there is Charu (Devika Sanjay), a terminally ill young woman from abroad with no family who longs for someone to attend her funeral so that she does not leave the world entirely alone. These arcs are not ineffective in themselves, but they feel overly familiar, and the film offers little that feels fresh or surprising.

The supposed romance between Theo and Charu should have anchored the narrative. Instead, it barely registers. We are told they are falling in love, but the emotional connection never quite convinces. The humour in the first half also struggles to find its rhythm, wavering between quirky and melancholic without fully succeeding at either.

Still, the film is not a total fail. It fares better than some of Mathew's recent outings like Lovely and Nellikkampoyil Night Riders. Visually, Sukhamano Sukhamann possesses a softness that suits the material. Nipin Bessant's soundtrack is a clear highlight, adding emotional texture and atmosphere when the screenplay falters. The film also benefits from a modest runtime of just above 100 minutes. The performances are adequate. Mathew brings an innocence to Theo that suits the role, while Devika and Jagadish do their best with characters that feel overly familiar.

There's a moving film buried somewhere in this premise, and you catch glimpses of it from time to time. But the execution lacks the sharpness needed to make those moments stick. The central question, "Sukhamano?", should carry real weight in an increasingly isolated world. Simply asking it isn't enough, though. It requires depth, sensitivity, and clarity of vision to truly linger.