CHENNAI: Ten minutes into White Rose, a question gnawed at me: How can one person face such relentless hardships? Divya (Kayal Anandhi), already ostracised by her parents for inter-faith marriage, loses her husband in an accident. Then, her four-year-old daughter gets kidnapped by a loan shark. While these conflicts seem overwhelming, they merely make up the premise. With an eerie musical score and unexpected jump scares, White Rose initially thrills, but a sense of tedium sets in soon afterwards, with an endless barrage of misfortune and many illogical plot holes.
In dire need of money, Divya turns to sex work to retrieve her daughter from the financier. Unfortunately, in her first attempt, she is taken by a murderer. What follows forms the rest of the story. Although the world-building takes time when the conflict is set in motion, it is adrenaline-pumping. So, you patiently watch the film up until the first half, despite a few hiccups in the screenplay. The non-linear narrative makes things ambiguous for a while, but you’re willing to overcome such inconveniences for the overall thrills.
At the heart of White Rose is a rarely acknowledged crime that is often disguised as a psychological disorder and that often escapes legal repercussions. While awareness about the disorder, which is sexual in nature, is limited, it is tackled efficiently, but it is what happens before and after that derails the purpose of this message.
RK Suresh plays the antagonist—an interesting role as he has no lines throughout the film. His character, a serial killer grappling with a psychological disorder, presents an exploration of criminal behaviour that is promising. However, the film fails to capitalise on this potential. A minimal backstory leaves the audience emotionally distant, neither fearing nor understanding his motivations. The makers could have definitely spent more time exploring his character than on the ‘how-Divya-finally-breaks-free-and-survives’ portion of the film. White Rose maintains a gripping pace for most of its runtime. However, the final 30 minutes of the film suffer from repetitiveness. The sole focus on Divya’s escape attempts becomes tiresome; despite the escalating danger, her actions occasionally defy logic. Even basic survival instincts seem absent at times, as she repeatedly gets attacked by the villain without utilising readily available objects for defence. For example, in a scene, she is thrashed by the villain but doesn’t bother to pick a lamp or a centrepiece from the table near her to use to her advantage. This mundanity undermines the tension built throughout the film.
Anandhi delivers a powerful performance, effortlessly embodying a worried mother and a terrified young woman. She’s the bright spot in a film that starts strong but descends into repetitive monotony. The ending, while predictable (think Manik Baashha’s quote, “Aandavan Nallavangala Sodhipaan aana Kai vida maatan”), takes an unnecessarily convoluted path. When the credits began rolling, I had one question in my mind: “What does the title White Rose have to do with any of this?” Despite my efforts to find the meaning, the title felt as distant from the film’s themes as I was emotionally involved by the end.
Film: White Rose
Director: K Rajashekar
Cast: Kayal Anandhi, RK Suresh, Rooso Sridharan, Vijjith, Baby Nakshathra, Sasilaya, Dharani Reddy
Rating: 2/5