THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Film critics are known to be opinionated, scalpel-witted, and even caustic. Yet, the likes of Quentin Tarantino, the acclaimed Hollywood director known for mixing cathartic, suave violence, profane dialogues, and show of pop culture in his landmark movies, took them seriously, at least in his younger days. He later transformed into a critic himself and even contemplated making a movie titled The Movie Critic, which now remains one of his famously unrealised projects.
The role of critics has been one that has influenced both filmmakers and cinephiles, wielding, as they presumably do, the power to change the destinies of films and filmmakers. It is said that Alfred Hitchcock began to be taken seriously in his homeland, and in Hollywood, thanks to the French critics at the acclaimed publication Cahiers du Cinéma.
Back home, too, several critics are taken seriously. But most of the publications they worked for have downed shutters, especially after the social media wave struck. Social media influencers now call the shots, telling their followers what to watch, and spicing their comments with tidbits on popular actors. Such juicy rants are also based on popular ranking sites where anything above three stars is considered apt for watching.
It was in this context that the film industry railed against what it termed as ‘review bombing,’ which involves influencing the rating system via a semi-organised campaign of online negative reviews.
Prominent critic and writer Deepa Gahlot feels that such a trend is reflective of the films that are now being produced.
“Whatever is being carried out in the name of reviewing is hardly reviewing. Also, what is there to review? That the protagonist somersaulted three more times in the sequel? What is there to write about movies such as Pushpa, Singham or Bhool Bhulaiyaa? In a way, we get the films we deserve and the films get the criticism they deserve,” says Deepa, who is part of this year’s IFFK Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) jury.
The world over, too, there is a dependence on influencers, although serious publications still maintain a high standard of reviewing. In India, on the other hand, most of the cinema-based publications have shut shop, including ‘Cinema in India,’ which was edited by Deepa. The popular media here is dependent on ranking dished out by websites and influencers, and reviewing is patchy with novices being tasked with watching films and writing about them.
“But here, too, questions abound about the quality of films. The ones on the festival circuit will never see any theatre release. Of late, OTT has been showing promise as a platform for good cinema. Even the non-Malayalam speaking crowd is interested in movies such as Manjummel Boys and Aavesham, and actors such as Fahadh Faasil and Parvathy are no longer regional names. So, yes, there is hope,” Deepa says.
The slow growth of streaming platforms is helping serious criticism, according to IFFK’s Fipresci (International Federation of Film Critics) jury member Martina Vackova.
“The criticism was very serious before, and with films becoming mass entertainment, its role did turn bleak. But now, content is moving to streaming platforms and audiences are becoming picky again. So, the critical approach is making a re-entry,” she says.
Here, the role of Fipresci, formed in 1930, is pertinent, feels Martina. “The problem, however, is the gap between films that get the attention of masses and those that interest just a few.
But the latter kind could be ahead of their time, and critics should be encouraged more and more to flag their importance. Fipresci could aid such an exchange now more than ever,” observes Martina, the managing editor of Czech Radio and a writer on films in Czech and Slovak media.
There is also the need to strike a balance between social media commentaries and serious reviewing in India, Deepa remarks. “Like in globally known publications, where reviewing is still serious business, Indian publications too could raise the bar by investing in experienced and erudite criticism of films rather than treating it as routine affair,” she says.