Am Ah Movie Review: An emotional journey that never quite reaches its destination

Some films come with the promise of a moving emotional journey, but Am Ah barely scratches the surface of its potential. Directed by Thomas Sebastian and written by Kaviprasad Gopinath, the film has a premise that could have explored deep themes of motherhood, fate and redemption. Instead, it delivers a story that feels too timid to dive into its own emotional depths.

Director: Thomas Sebastian

Cast: Dileesh Pothan, Devadarshini, Baby Nihara, Jaffar Idukki, Meera Vasudevan, Shruthie Jayan, Navas Vallikkunnu

The film begins revolving around Stephen (Dileesh Pothan), a road construction supervisor visiting the isolated village of Kavantha. We also meet Amminiyamma (Devadarshini), a reserved middle-aged woman raising her granddaughter, Kunji, who struggles with developmental stuttering. Their bond, built on love and unspoken pain, adds emotional potential to the narrative. But it struggles to translate this potential into genuine emotional weight. The first hour of Am Ah works to some extent, especially in how it builds curiosity around Stephen’s character and his interactions with the villagers. There’s a sense of mystery that hints at bigger revelations to come. Also, the setting is visually striking and adds to the atmosphere. Anishlal RS’s camerawork captures the terrain beautifully but the overuse of aerial shots quickly becomes tiresome, adding little.

Devadarshini’s portrayal of Amminiyamma is easily the film’s strongest point. Best known for her cheerful roles in Tamil films like 96 and Meiyazhagan, she puts up a remarkable act here in her Malayalam debut with a deeply vulnerable performance. Her eyes carry the anguish of a woman burdened by her circumstances and her interactions with Kunji convey more than the script does. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t give her arc the depth it deserves, squandering what could have been a powerful exploration of motherly instincts and resilience. Dileesh Pothan is adequate as Stephen, whose journey takes a dramatic turn post-interval, though the twist surrounding his character is predictable. Jaffar Idukki and Jayarajan Kozhikode offer decent support, but their roles remain largely forgettable. The lacklustre writing hampers all these performances, with the screenplay struggling to balance the central mystery with its emotional core.

The second half of the film is where things begin to become stale. After the twist in the tale is revealed, the story slips into predictable melodrama. Flashbacks, which could have been used sparingly to add depth, are instead drawn out unnecessarily, explaining things the audience has already pieced together. This over-explanation drags the pacing and saps the film of any emotional impact it might have had. The writing feels particularly weak in this stretch. Themes of motherhood are treated superficially, leaving little room for the kind of emotional resonance you’d expect. Gopi Sundar’s background score is functional but unremarkable. While it complements the film well in some moments, it often veers into overly dramatic territory, evoking the feel of a soap opera rather than a cinematic experience.

While Thomas Sebastian does show more control as a filmmaker here than in his previous works, it’s still not enough to save the film even when it's mercifully brief at under two hours. Despite Devadarshini’s standout performance, Am Ah is ultimately a missed opportunity, weighed down by a script that can’t decide what it wants to be. There’s no real depth to the characters or the themes they represent, while it never fully commits to its own potential and thrives in mediocrity.