bro (2023 film) movie review

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Bro Movie Review : Banks more on Pawan Kalyan's fame than the story

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Budidinne Obulesu 2 324 days ago

Very good film about time and extraordinary about family realtionships

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king kalyan

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Bro… What happened?

What it's about

Remaking his own 2021 Tamil film, director Samuthirakani presents BRO, a Telugu adaptation that doesn’t compare to its original. The premise itself had proven potential, but instead of understanding Mark’s struggle as a breadwinner who took care of his family after the death of their father, the film offers spectacle in response. The larger-than-life, supernatural scenes could have worked, had the film dedicated them for character development (and a bit more time on the VFX). With the backing of the global giant Netflix, and the critical acclaim towards the original film, it’s a wonder how a film like BRO could end up this way.

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'Bro' movie review: A fantasy drama on time that makes two hours feel like forever

Ten minutes into the film, Markandeya alias Mark (Sai Dharam Tej) dies in a car accident that he is seemingly responsible for. A shot of a white car tumbling across a highway cuts to darkness. We slowly see Mark emerge, unharmed, crying out for help. We then see the silhouette of a man, the superstar himself. Mark yells, “Who are you? Where am I? Show me your face.” No response. Then we get the cue. “Power ledha.” The lights shine on, revealing the power star himself, dressed in his famous Vayyari Bhama garb, dancing to the song. Then we see something downright farcical. The man is dancing, well, swaying lightly, as we see him morph into double, triple and multiple identical translucent figures, moving along to the acoustic hook from Vayyari… All the build-up and tease, followed by that one meta line acting as an OTP for the hero to emerge. Phata poster, nikla hero. Phir kya? It is all downhill from here, my friends, as the rest of the film goes on to replicate the heartbreaking mediocrity the Ameerpet edit of VFX Pawan Kalyans displayed. 

For the most part, Bro is Mark’s story. He gets the Arjun Reddy style unlikeable-but-successful character arc. He finishes an entire workout but leaves his breakfast halfway. He will pay for his sisters’ education but never pays attention to them. He is also extremely fastidious with his time. He fires people on a whim because they have dared to waste his time. He sees his girlfriend Ramya (Ketika Sharma) as an appointment to be squeezed in between work and more work. Mark’s loved ones are the opportunity cost he voluntarily incurs for a coveted promotion in his company. Bro, in that way, is quite the apt title here, considering the whole ‘time is money, money is success’ mantra that drives Mark is also the beloved gospel of our podcast ‘bros’.  

Samuthirakani and his writer-collaborator Trivikram are more inclined to present Mark in a grudgingly positive light, but more on that later. Pawan Kalyan is time, here. If Anne Hathaway suggested that time can be a physical dimension people can climb up and down like a hill in Interstellar — Samuthirakani wants us to know that time can also be reimagined as this demigod superstar we have all grown up loving. 

But who really is this personification of time? This is where the movie entropies rapidly. Trivikram steps in to deliver some philosophical one-liners, which quickly turn into unsubtle digs against a certain Chief Minister. We also have Thaman’s rousing Sanskritised background score trying its best to defibrillate this otherwise comatose film. When we combine Thaman’s contributions with the fact that Bro is alternatively titled Bro The Avatar — we might just be talking about Kaala Bhairava, the Shaivite manifestation of time, reality and retribution. But this is a wasted conclusion since we see Pawan Kalyan’s character borrow his character traits from his own film-mythos-graph. In OMG (Pawan Kalyan features in this film’s Telugu remake), Akshay Kumar’s Sri Krishna apes the character traits of the latter. So we see this actor play the flute, carry a peacock feather keychain and inhale blocks of butter from Paresh Rawal’s fridge. But here, Pawan Kalyan’s Time mowa bro is a highlights reel of the actor in his prime. He prefers chai from a cutting glass (like his character from Thammudu), sings Aadavari Matalaku Ardhale Verule in a car and dances to Jalsa Jalsa in a pub. Costume designer Neeta Lulla chimes into the film’s overall meta-ness, her costumes are an ode to the actor’s clutter-breaking, forever cool fits from the 2000s. 

At this point, a senior star paying meta lip service to his older, more iconic roles is not new. Lokesh Kanagaraj did it with Kamal Haasan in Vikram. Closer home, Bobby Kolli pulled it off with clap backs to vintage Chiranjeevi in Waltair Veerayya. But the trick misfires with Bro, especially considering Kushi, Jalsa and Tholi Prema had some wide and successful re-releases at a time as recent as last year. Speaking of which, how did a song from  Bheemla Nayak feature in this vintage mix? I get that time is relative and stories are subjective, but the only way ‘one year back’ would count as vintage is if human beings had a lifespan of three years. The shtick feels a lot more tired when you realise that Pawan Kalyan is running his own experiments with time, using his past career to propel his future one — cinema be damned.

The rest of the film does little to help its own case. Bro is a remake of a Tamil feature that was once originally a play, but that never meant actors should continue to stay in a single place, swapping the stage for endless green screenshots. Sai Dharam Tej is equally immobile in his acting, as he pantomimes in tandem with Pawan Kalyan’s sluggish and disinterested demeanour. 

Surprisingly, Mark’s family left a greater impression on me than Tej and Pawan Kalyan. There is a sister who knows she is unfairly resented, but still respects her brother. The other sister and brother hide their own relationships, despite Mark being open with his. The film’s only redeeming grace is the way it treats patriarchy. Now when I say patriarchy, I don’t mean it in the way that word has earned its demonic status today. I mean it quite literally. Mark is the oldest child of his family, its sole breadwinner and patriarch after their father’s demise. When he rises to lecture the women in his household, the girls see their father. The mother sees her own father. Mark is riddled with anxiety, about getting his siblings ‘settled’. Turns out, his family needs no help from him. In one of the film’s only aha! moments, we see the ‘nobody needing Mark’ angle take a deterministic turn.

And when Mark realises that it is he who needs his family more than the other way round, he begins to redeem himself. The film though, not so much. This is an interesting time for Pawan Kalyan fans, to watch him transition from a place that made him the power star to a place that could give him actual power. We have seen him build a meta-narrative beneficial for politics in both Vakeel Saab and Bheemla Nayak. But Bro is a slippery beast. Star power means showing greatness, something mortals cannot achieve. But we have Pawan Kalyan in a film that has come down to our level, instead of us wishing to reach theirs, with all the Jaya Surya and Mavayya meme clapbacks. 

It is not easy at all to watch this ‘torchbearer’ feature in a rather torturous film. It feels much more insulting when the star is content with scheduling this piecemeal effort film between politics the way Mark scheduled his time between work for Ramya. We have had 25 glorious years with Pawan Kalyan. Maybe, our time is over.

Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, Ketika Sharma, Priya Prakash Warrier, Rohini Molleti Director: Samuthirakani 

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Bro Movie Review: A Good-Hearted Story Over-Powered By Fan Service

Director: Samuthirakani

Cast: Pawan Kalyan , Sai Dharam Tej, Rohini Molleti, Ketika Sharma, Priya Prakash Warrier

Writer-director Trivikram has always been fascinated with the concept of divinity. We can find overarching themes like God and humanity, in some capacity, spread throughout his filmography. Even in the mass-y, crowd-pleasing  Bheemla Nayak (2022), the official adaptation of  Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020), he brought a sacred quality to his rebel, non-conformist protagonist, also played by Pawan Kalyan. The inclusion of a myth centred on 'Kokkili Devera' was, without a doubt, the best part of  Bheemla Nayak . 

Naturally, for Trivikram , who penned the adapted screenplay of  Bro , the remake of Samuthirakani 's fantasy drama  Vinodhaya Sitham (2021) ,  this story is the stuff of his dreams, with themes like morality and mortality served on a dazzling, mouth-watering platter. And the film's director Samuthirakani himself is vocal about the moral responsibility and social consciousness in his films. When these two forces come together, coupled with the power of a king-size star like Pawan Kalyan, we only expect the star power to give a thunderous boost to the film, not pull it back and settle for basic highs. This is where  Bro  falters. The makers had the opportunity and resources to create a missile but miss the mark by a mile and settle for flower pots and sparkles.

Sai Dharam Tej 's Markhadeyulu aka Mark is a busy and ambitious man. He is always running from pillar to post and barely has time for his family--a mother and two sisters. His agitation is such, that he fires an employee for forgetting to book a return ticket for his work trip from Vizag to Hyderabad. On his way back, Mark meets with a fatal accident. As his soul departs earth and waits for a transfer from our world to the afterlife, which is represented here with darkness all around, he and we are introduced to Time, played by Pawan Kalyan. Pawan first appears as a railway porter, a call-back to the iconic 'Vayyari Bhama' (which is played in the background), from  Thammudu (1999). When a distraught Mark pleads Time for... more time, so he can fulfill some of his responsibilities, he is granted an extension of 90 days to live. And Time, of course, accompanies him like, as put by a character, Bethaal.

It's a wonderful story that talks about the futility of our apprehensions about the future in the most practical way possible. We have seen many films that speak about the value of life, but  Bro  (or  Vinodhaya Sitham ) is that rare movie that underlines the bitter reality: our presence or life doesn't make much of a difference. Yes, it can be a hard pill to swallow but it's a perspective that's never explored or even addressed in our films. We, the Indian society, bound by familial values, only talk about loss and longing in our films, but never about moving on, a point that everyone arrives at invariably. This perspective, coupled with fantasy, is what lends novelty to the film. This is why the film soars in its final moments, when Mark faces the hard-hitting reality and accepts his fate. Kasarla Shyam's beautiful lyrics of 'Okasaari Putti' leave a lasting impact, even if they are elaborating and reiterating the essence of Pawan Kalyan's lines. The film does get the ending right, without a doubt. But to arrive at this heartfelt culmination, we have to endure numerous uninventive and forced attempts to create a high in an otherwise heartening story. 

Every time the film remembers it has to appeal to the humongous fanbase of Pawan Kalyan, it resorts to a reference to a song from his filmography. And considering there is no paucity of moments to celebrate in his career, we get generous doses of fan service that runs the course of its time pretty soon, once the modus operandi of the film becomes apparent. This is my biggest problem with the film. Sure, there's nothing wrong with tipping hats to older films and including references to elicit a response from the audience but can that just be the only weapon in a writer's arsenal? I believe we, as movie lovers and fans, should be tripping on our favourite stars and the nostalgia associated with them. So when filmmakers make the stars themselves do it, we cannot help but wonder if they didn't have any better ideas to entertain us. Sure, the audience responded incredibly well to every popular reference in my theatre but it feels like the easiest way to achieve a mass moment. The interval shot, for instance, is a killer, and Thaman, as always, goes ballistic. I just wish there were more such moments, originating from the film's story and not the star's image.

The most disappointing moment in the film is the recreation of the 'La la Bheemla' from  Bheemla Nayak , which was released just a year ago. And neither did the makers have a fresh take on it or repurposed the song; they essentially recreated a bit from the song. Now, I wouldn't say the same about other songs used in the film because I understand the nostalgia value surrounding 'Killi Killi' from  Gudumba Shankar  (2004)   or 'Emi Sodhara' from  Tholi Prema  (1998) but  Bheemla Nayak  was just 17 months ago and I bet it's still fresh in our memory. It simply was an indication that the makers clearly ran out of ideas!

It was fun to see a nonchalant and cool Pawan Kalyan play around and have fun, especially after playing serious roles in  Vakeel Saab (2021) and  Bheemla Nayak , but every time the film fell back on a reference, I kept thinking that a star of his stature deserved better masala writing. And by now, the lines between Pawan's off-screen and on-screen personalities are blurred, giving the film ample opportunities to pen dialogues that smartly allude to his political career and  Bro  is no different— from his political party's symbol to his efforts, the writing accommodates all of it.

Trivikram's writing too is underwhelming, considering you'd expect the wizard of words to spin magic on a subject with such gravitas. Sure, there are some great lines about life and death but the thought behind it is more admirable than the dialogue itself. While that was my qualm with the film's writing and its tonality, the film's visual quality is far from perfect. Excessive usage of greenscreen is a major distraction and the keying is utterly visible, especially in the after-life sequences. Is visual finesse too much to ask for from a major production in 2023? 

Despite all its flaws,  Bro  manages to harbour its noble intentions at the end and the final few moments are genuinely moving, when we see Mark embrace his flaws and the meaning of existence. The peril here is that  Vinodaya Sitham  never aspired for a larger-than-life quality. And Bro, on the other hand, cannot afford simplicity. The fact that the adaptation has to strike a balance between the 'nobility' of the source material and the 'bigness' expected from a big-ticket Pawak Kalyan entertainer yields mixed results. I wish the making complemented the vision and writing invigorated the intentions.

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BRO (2023) Movie: What's Behind

BRO directed by Samuthirakhani generated immense interest among movie lovers as it stars Power Star Pawan Kalyan in the role of Time God. With Pawan Kalyan lining up the project to propel his nephew Sai Dharam Tej who met with an accident last year, people got emotionally connected. Trivikram known for his witty dialogues provided screenplay for the film. The film hit the screens today and let us find out whether BRO offered a blast at the box office. The film's OTT rights have been bagged by Netflix for a fancy sum.

BRO Movie: Story Review

BRO story is all about a youngster who always runs after materialistic pleasures ahead of relations and how he deals with it when he faces the hard reality. Young Mark aka Markandeyulu (Sai Dharam Tej), works so hard as the manager in a company in Hyderabad so much so that he doesn't have time to spend with his family comprising of his mother (Rohini), sister Veena (Priya Prakash Varrier) and another sister and brother and also his lover Ramya (Ketika Sharma).

However, he gets a shock of his life while he was returning from Vizag to Hyderabad to celebrate his B-Day which brings him face to face with Time God (Pawan Kalyan). Where this leads, what are the consequences from the rest of the proceedings?

BRO Movie: Artists Review

Pawan Kalyan as the Time God turned out to be the centre of attraction. He with his powerful screen presence carried the film on his shoulders. His entertaining mannerisms and hilarious scenes along with serious powerful dialogues loaded with intense messages to society turned out to be the pillar of the story. Pawan with his electrifying performance added energy to the film's proceedings.

Sai Dharam Tej looked good as a youngster who turns out to be a workaholic due to circumstances so much so that he doesn't spend time with his family and becomes a kind of dictator. But his get-up as the elderly person looked good and gave scope for the memes fest. Sai Dharam Tej is yet to recover completely from the deadly accident he met last year. He looked out of shape physically and psychologically. He even failed to come up with normal dance moves also.  It seems that he did the film only to be in the reckoning and now he has taken a good decision to take a break to regain his normal self.

Ketika Sharma is ok in the role of Sai Dharam Tejk's lover. She got limited screen presence. Priya Prakash Varrier also got confined to a few scenes. Others like Vennela Kishore, Brahmanandam, and Tanikella Bharani got blink-and-miss roles. Samuthirakhani played an important role and he is fine but his makeup looked odd.

BRO Movie: Technicians Review

The story of BRO readied by Samuthirakani is about a youngster who seeks time from God to set everything for his family in a stipulated time frame. The film is the remake of Vinodhaya Sitham. Trivikram Srinivas provided the screenplay and dialogues for the film. Trivikram Srinivas concentrated only on elevating the heroism of Pawan Kalyan by highlighting his mannerisms, style, and swag and making him dance to his chartbuster songs from his previous films.

In the process, emotions took a back seat. However, the first half offers a full feast to the fans with a lot of entertainment. The first half ends with an emotional interval scene setting the tone for the second half. The entire second half depended on taking the scenes to another level with powerful emotions. But with entertainment taking the backseat and emotions failing to get elevated, the second half slides down in no time, with routine elements. For some reason, one gets a feeling that Trivikram's mark went missing and it seems that he lost interest in coming with powerful and intense emotions.

Trivikram's screenplay failed on the emotional front while it is high on the entertainment. Samuthirakhani's story is extremely emotional and he tried his best to do justice with his direction. But the change in the script and turning the protagonist to a youngster instead of a 40-50 year old person in the original, backfired completely. Thambiramaiah came out with powerful emotions to connect chords with the movie lovers and Sai DharamTej for all his effort, failed to do so. The complete change of God of Time to an entertaining one to elevate Pawan's heroism may attract his fans but Pawan just dancing to his chartbuster songs and imitating his own mannerisms, puts off movie lovers as they diluted the emotions.

Thaman failed to entertain with his music. None of the songs are entertaining and appealing. It seems he just passed through the motions. His background music is ok but at times it is loud. The cinematography of Sujith Vassudevan beautified the film and is colorful on the screen. He captured the visuals in a good manner. Naveen Nooli's editing is just ok. While the first half is passable, the second half is full of repetitive scenes that impacted the pace of the film. The production values of People Media Factory are good.

BRO Movie: Advantages

• Pawan Kalyan
• Few Entertaining Scenes

BRO Movie: Disadvantages

• Missing Emotions
• Predictable Narration

BRO Movie: Rating Analysis

Altogether, BRO is just an average entertainer even for Pawan Kalyan's fans. For all the hype with Trivikram Srinivas providing script, screenplay, and dialogues to Samuthirakhani's story, BRO diluted the essence and emotions of the original Vinodhaya Sitham. It comes as a shocker that Trivikram came up with such substandard dialogues and screenplay, only making Pawan Kalyan dance to his previous chartbuster songs. Taking movie lovers and even fans for granted will boomerang and backfire sooner than later. One shouldn't be under the misconception that people throng theatres to watch Pawan Kalyan perform his chartbuster songs again by paying huge bucks. Considering all these elements, Cinejosh goes with a 2.5 rating for BRO.

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Release Date : July 28, 2023

123telugu.com Rating : 3/5

Starring: Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, Priya Prakash Varrier, Ketika Sharma, Brahmanandam, Raja Chembol, Rohini Molleti, Tanikella Bharani, Urvashi Rautela

Director: Samuthirakani

Producers: T. G. Vishwa Prasad, Vivek Kuchibotla

Music Director: Thaman S

Cinematographer: Sujith Vaassudev

Editor: Naveen Nooli

Related Links : Trailer

Bro is a special film for mega fans as it marks the coming together of Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej. The movie, directed by Samuthirakani, is a fantasy comedy-drama. Star director Trivikram penned the screenplay and dialogues. Amidst a massive fan frenzy, Bro hit the screens today, and let’s see how it is.

Markandeya, a.k.a Mark (Sai Dharam Tej), is always swamped with work, and he is the only earning member in his family. Mark is in love with Ramya (Ketika Sharma), but he neither spends time with his lady love nor his family as he has a lot of responsibilities to deal with. One day he dies in a road accident, and Mark’s soul meets Time God, a.k.a Titan (Pawan Kalyan). Mark requests Titan to give him a second chance in life so that he can fulfill his obligations. Titan gives 90 days time to Mark, and he hangs around Mark during this period. The rest of the film is about how Mark fulfills his commitments.

Plus Points:

The movie banks heavily on the performance and charm of Pawan Kalyan. The star actor is at his absolute best in Bro, and his screen presence is full on throttle. His entry scene is pure goosebumps stuff, and Pawan gave his best throughout. He evokes laughs in a few scenes with his antics. But the best part about Bro is the looks of Powerstar, which are far better than his recent flicks.

Sai Dharam Tej gives a decent performance in this fantasy drama. A few scenes between Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej came out well, and they will appeal to mega fans. The way Pawan teases Sai Dharam Tej initially is funny.

The first half has decent moments which keep the film going. Ketika Sharma does well despite her limited screen presence. It was good to see Brahmanandam and Pawan in a single frame once again. Rohini, Ali Reza, Vennela Kishore are okay in their respective roles.

Minus Points:

The movie has a nice message which emphasizes that it is more important to live in the present than worry about the future. But this has been marred by many dull scenes. The film is weak on the emotional front as the relationship between Sai Dharam Tej’s character and his family isn’t showcased well. A few scenes looked artificial. Priya Prakash Varrier has nothing much to do in the film. Had the emotions been presented even better, the message could have been more impactful.

In order to please the fans, the director added many references of Pawan Kalyan’s old songs. Though they are enjoyable initially, they become boring after a point in time. These scenes might appeal to fans, but for others, these portions will turn out to be tedious due to their over usage. Also, the movie doesn’t have a proper flow, and even a few decent scenes lacked impact due to their placement.

Except for Bro title song, the other songs are a huge drawback in this biggie. The film’s tempo goes down further during these songs, and they add no value to the proceedings. There should have been solid drama to take things to a further level, but that didn’t happen here. A few bland scenes could have been edited out to make things interesting.

Technical Aspects:

Though Thaman’s songs aren’t great, his background score is good. The music director tried to lift many scenes through his background score. The cinematography by Sujith Vasudev is neat. The production values are fine, but the VFX works could have been a lot better. The editing is sloppy, and a few portions could have been trimmed.

Coming to the director Samuthirakani, he did a passable job with the film. His focus was more on making the film appeal to the fans, but the emotions took the beating. A few redundant scenes could have been avoided totally. Pawan did his best to gloss over the loopholes.

On the whole, Bro is a fantasy drama that relies heavily on the performance of Pawan Kalyan. The star actor’s mannerisms and style will go well with fans. Sai Dharam Tej does a neat job, and a few of his scenes with Pawan came out well. The first half has some moments going its way. But the way emotions and drama is handled is not great. A few bland scenes will bog down the impact. Bro will appeal to fans, but for others, it will end up being an okay watch. Hence it is suggested to keep your expectations in check.

123telugu.com Rating: 3/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

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Honest Reviews & Editorials

BRO (2023) Review: Pawan Kalyan’s Titanic One-Man Show!

BRO , an adaptation of the acclaimed 2021 Tamil movie Vinodhaya Sitham , marks the first collaboration between the uncle and nephew duo – Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej. Under the direction of P. Samuthirakani and a screenplay from Trivikram, the film also features a solid supporting cast, including Priya Prakash Varrier , Rohini, Yuva Lakshmi, Tanikella Bharani, ‘Vennela’ Kishore, Ali Reza, Ketika Sharma , Subbaraju, and others.

In BRO , Mark (Sai Dharam Tej), an egotistical corporate worker, faces a fatal accident, dies, and meets the mysterious God of Time (Pawan Kalyan). Requesting a chance to amend his mistakes and fulfill family duties, Mark receives a transformative ninety-day period on Earth from the God of Time. Subsequently, the film portrays Mark’s journey of self-discovery, learning, and growth into a more compassionate individual by the end.

Related: Best Telugu Movies of 2023 You Can Stream Now!

Beginning with the positives, Pawan Kalyan shines bright in BRO , embodying his character with exceptional finesse. Samuthirakani’s meticulous attention to his screen presence, elevations, and delivering what the fans crave created an “electrifying” experience in the theater. The film’s clever callbacks and throwbacks to his vintage roles added to the nostalgic charm. And most importantly, it felt like Kalyan had a ton of fun playing his part, offering a delightful contrast to his previous role in Gopala Gopala , where he also portrayed a God teaching a common man a few life lessons.

While I appreciated the film’s messaging, dialogues, and overarching theme, I couldn’t help but feel that the execution fell short, particularly in conveying the emotional depth of Mark’s transformation. At times, the film struck the right chord and garnered the attention it deserved. However, the prevalence of fan service material featuring Pawan Kalyan on-screen sometimes overshadowed the film’s emotional impact. The director and screenwriter displayed proficiency in delivering entertainment through comedy and catering to Powerstar’s fans, but the much-needed balance between emotion and fan service could have been better.

Let’s move on to the technical side of things. Editor Navin Nooli might have faced challenges in maintaining a cohesive 130-minute runtime, resulting in a few scenes feeling out-of-place and forced, creating an occasional lack of coherence. Alas, I could very much be wrong. And maybe it is a screenwriting error by Trivikram. Furthermore, the visual effects appeared to be subpar. Understandable, given the time limitations due to Pawan Kalyan’s political commitments affecting outdoor shooting. Some VFX-heavy scenes become distracting and awkward to watch.

Thaman, who has now scored music for Kalyan’s films for the third time in a row, impressed once again with his background score, delivering where it mattered the most. However, the songs themselves felt subpar in comparison. As for the performances, the supporting cast portrayed their roles decently. As for Sai Dharam Tej , considering the tragic accident he recently endured, which heavily impacted his speech and physical condition, his performance felt a bit uneven as he navigated various character shades, from an arrogant brat to a man on a journey of self-discovery. Given these circumstances, I will reserve my judgment and criticism for him.

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Overall, BRO does suffer in several aspects, notably in the emotional execution, and I couldn’t help but wish for a more flawless handling of its impactful theme. However, the film manages to entertain, and Pawan Kalyan’s titanic screen presence alone makes it worth the price of the movie ticket. Exiting the theater, I experienced mixed feelings, but I must admit it is still worth watching with your family, guaranteeing a fair share of delight.

‘BRO’ Rating – 3/5

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BRO Movie Review

Article by Suman M Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 3:47 am, 28 July 2023

115 Minutes   |   Comedy - Drama   |   28-07-2023

Cast - Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, Ketika Sharma, Priya Varrier, Rohini, Vennela Kishore and others

Director - Samuthirakani

Producer - T. G. Vishwa Prasad, Vivek Kuchibotla

Banner - People Media Factory

Music - S Thaman

Live while you live and take life as it comes is the concept of BRO. Pawan Kalyan agreed to be a part of this Sai Dharam Tej’s movie under Samuthirakani’s direction. BRO is an official remake of Vinodaya Sitham by the same director. The fantasy film was released today with good expectations and let us see If Sai Dharam Tej scores a hit again after his recent success Virupaksha. Here is the BRO movie review.

What Is It About?

Markandeyulu (Sai Dharam Tej) is a busy man whose priority is work and does not really have ‘time’ for others’ emotions or opinions. Mark meets with an accident that kills him and he then gets to meet the Time/God Titan (Pawan Kalyan). Titan gives 90 days for Mark as a second chance to change things. The rest of the story is what Mark realizes and how he manages to change the obvious.

Performances

Needless to say, Pawan Kalyan steals the show. His presence is the main asset of the film. Pawan’s vintage looks and enacting his own blockbuster songs from the past is a real treat for fans.

Sai Dharam Tej is decent as an ignorant workaholic. A few scenes between Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej are good.

Ketika Sharma, Priya Varrier, Rohini, Vennela Kishore, Tanikella Bharani, and others did their part. The role Priya Varrier did, does not match her popularity and it could have been done by anyone.

Technicalities

BRO shows Pawan Kalyan in super stylish looks. The background music is good by Thaman, however, the songs are not impressive. In fact, the old songs of Pawan Kalyan worked better in small bits.

The VFX work could have been a lot better. There were many scenes that showed poor graphics. The screenplay is clumsy at times due to the series of scenes rushing.

Pawan Kalyan Dialogues & BGM Climax and Pre-climax Song

Thumbs Down

Weak Narration VFX Songs Over-the-Top Scenes

The concept is not new, but a little different from what we have seen earlier like Yamaleela to the latest Ori Devuda that dealt with the ‘second chance’. In fact, the director here made the God most of the time stay in the picture to make it an elaborate one, unlike other movies.

A man who thinks he is the center of everything realizes how things actually work upon ‘time’, even if he is not there.

The first 20 minutes are over-the-top establishing scenes and the comedy also fails to work there before getting into the actual plot. The entry of God is a powerful one.

Pawan Kalyan as Titan runs the show until the interval with his swag and old songs now and then. His mannerisms enthrall his fans the best. The bonding between Markandeyulu and his girlfriend was not established well.

Sai Dharam Tej has most of the scenes in combination with Pawan Kalyan and the latter’s presence throughout the movie is one strong asset BRO has. But the VFX in most of their scenes is pathetic.

The narrative does not get impressive due to the lack of emotional connection and it continues until the pre-climax episodes. The second half gets predictable in most parts. The climax followed by the song actually made a lot of sense than it did in the whole movie. The life lessons taught by Titan in the climax and the message asking everyone to accept life as it comes are conveyed well.

Overall, BRO has a good storyline, but the weak narrative does not let it becomes great. BRO makes a good watch for Pawan Kalyan’s fans but ‘time’ will tell how it fares at the box office.

Bottomline: ‘BRO’ – Story Proposes, Narration Disposes

Tags BRO Movie Review

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• Cast & Crew

Bro Cast & Crew

Bro Crew Info

Director
Story
Dialogue
Cinematography
Editor
Music
Producer
Production	People Media Factory
Satellite Rights	Zee Telugu
Budget	TBA
Box Office	75.20 Cr
OTT Platform	Netflix
OTT Release Date	2023-08-25
Addtional Info
Lyrics
Singers
Art Direction

Bro Critics Review

Bro trailer.

• My Dear Markandeya Singers: Revanth , Snigdha Sharma Lyricist: Ramajogaya Sastry 0
• Jaanavule Singers: Thaman S , K.Pranati Lyricist: Kasarla Shyam 0
• Theme of BRO Singers: Revanth , Saicharan Lyricist: Kalyan Chakravarthy 0
• Bro Rap Singers: Aditya Iyengar Lyricist: Aditya Iyengar 0
• Okasaari Putti Singers: Ravi G Lyricist: Kasarla Shyam 0

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Bro

In this Bro film, Pawan Kalyan , Sai Dharam Tej played the primary leads.

The Bro was released in theaters on 28 Jul 2023.

The Bro was directed by Samuthirakani

Movies like Mechanic Rocky , The Raja Saab , Mr Bachchan and others in a similar vein had the same genre but quite different stories.

The Bro had a runtime of 135 minutes.

The soundtracks and background music were composed by Thaman S for the movie Bro.

The cinematography for Bro was shot by Sujith Vasudev .

You can watch the Bro movie on Netflix,.

On 25 Aug 2023 Bro was released on the Netflix, platform.

The movie Bro belonged to the Action,Drama, genre.

Bro User Review

• Movie rating

Mahesh 379 Days Ago

bro is a powerstar film but lot of lag and many unnecessary scenes makes a below par movie thaman music stands out may be a below average fare for others and vintage papk for fans

Jagan 379 Days Ago

BRO Strictly for PK fans ….high whistle blowing moments with PK vintage mash up songs …Rest all goes flat …again Trivikram failed to deliver an remake with unwanted emotions and unexceptional Lag in screenplay …BGM 👍🔥 2.75/5

Nag 379 Days Ago

BRO -Good script which should have been executed more convincingly , a pure feast for fans with vintage pawankalyan show in modern ultra stylish looks with reference to his old super hit songs.. saidharamtej has done good job and all the charac..

Disclaimer: The materials, such as posters, backdrops, and profile pictures, are intended to represent the associated movies and TV shows under fair use guidelines for informational purposes only. We gather information from social media, specifically Twitter. We strive to use only official materials provided publicly by the copyright holders.

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BRO (2023) - Review/Discussion Thread. SPOILERS MUST BE TAGGED

BRO is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Samuthirakani from a screenplay by Trivikram Srinivas. Produced by People Media Factory and Zee Studios, it is a remake of the 2021 Tamil film Vinodhaya Sitham. The film stars Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, Priya Prakash Varrier, Ketika Sharma, Brahmanandam, and Subbaraju with music composed by Thaman S.

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• Entertainment
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Bro: Release Date, Trailer, Songs, Cast

• Release Date 28 July 2023
• Language Telugu
• Genre Drama, Fantasy
• Duration 2h 15min
• Cast Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, Priya Prakash Varrier, Ketika Sharma, Brahmanandam, Subbaraju, Rohini, Tanikella Bharani
• Director Samuthirakani
• Writer Trivikram Srinivas
• Cinematography Sujith Vaassudev
• Music Thaman S
• Producer T. G. Vishwa Prasad, Vivek Kuchibotla
• Production People Media Factory, Zee Studios
• Certificate U

About Bro Movie (2023)

A remake of Tamil film Vinodhaya Sitham, in which a man gets a second chance to correct his mistakes, after his death. The film features Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej in the lead roles.

Bro Movie Cast, Release Date, Trailer, Songs and Ratings

Bro Movie Trailer

Bro movie songs.

#	TITLE	ARTIST	DURATION	LISTEN
1.	My Dear Markandeya	L. V. Revanth, Snigdha Sharma	4:18
2.	Jaanavule	Thaman S, K. Pranati	3:44
3.	Theme Of BRO	Aditi Bhavaraju, Aditya Iyengar, Adviteeya Vojjala, Anudeep Dev, Arun Kaundinya, Damini Bhatla, Harika Narayan, Harini Ivaturi, Malavika, Pratyusha Pallapothu, P V N S Rohit, Raghuram, L. V. Revanth, Sahithi Chaganti, Satya Yamini, Sri Krishna, Tejaswini, Shivani Pisupati, Pavani Vasa, Shruthika Samudhrala, Nadapriya, Vagdevi Kumara, Lakshmi Meghana, Geethika Vasanth, Tejaswi (USA), K. Pranati, Nigama Nellutla, Maneesha Pandranki, Keerthana Srinivas, Pravasthi, Amrutha Varshini, Chaitu Satsangi, Sai Sri Charan, J.V. Sudhanshu, Saicharan Bhaskaruni, Maman Kumar, Ritesh G Rao, Saatvik, Arjun Vijay, Narasimha, Pavancharan, Naresh Mamindla, Lakshmi Naidu, Akhil Chandra	4:45
4.	Bro Rap	Aditya Iyengar	2:06
5.	Okkasaari Putti	Ravi G	3:44

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Bro Telugu Movie

Bro is a 2023 Indian movie directed by Samuthirakani starring Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, Priya Prakash Varrier and Ketika Sharma. The feature film is produced by TG Vishwa Prasad and the music composed by Thaman S.

		Mark

Director: Samuthirakani Producer: TG Vishwa Prasad Music Director: Thaman S Cinematographer: Sujith Vasudev Editor: Navin Nooli Art Designer: A S Prakash Screenplay Writer: Trivikram Dialogue Writer: Trivikram

• తెలుగు

BRO: Where to Watch, Tickets, Review, Box Office and Verdict

Samuthirakhani has directed the highly anticipated film, BRO, featuring Pawan Kalyan and Saidharam Tej, which is one of the most awaited releases among the big films of this season.

The movie is hitting the screens today after a considerable gap since the last Pawan Kalyan film.

Here are some interesting facts about BRO:

Where To Watch:

The film is releasing on July 28th in theaters across the world. It is not yet available on any OTT platform.

Book Tickets:

Tickets for BRO can be booked on BookMyShow or PayTM for theaters near you. Tickets can also be booked through Amazon Pay.

Director And Cast:

Samuthirakhani, who is also a popular actor, is making his directorial debut in Telugu with the film BRO.

The film is based on the theme of God-Human relationship and is a commercial version of the Tamil film 'Vinodaya Sitam'.

Trivikram is the writer for this film, while TG Vishwa Prasad and Vivek Kuchibhotla of People's Media have produced it.

Ketika Sharma and Priya Prakash Varrier are also part of the cast, while the music is scored by Thaman.

After watching the film, click here and give your verdict.

The movie in overseas is released by the production house itself on its own. 

CLICK HERE!! for USA Schedules.

BRO Review:

Click here for Bro movie  review

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Tags: Bro Bro Verdict

Bro Telugu Movie Review

Average Ratings: 2.4/5 Score: 20% Positive Reviews Counted:6 Positive:1 Neutral:1 Negative:4

Ratings: 2.5/5  Review By: Raghu Site:Indian Express

After his political foray, Pawan Kalyan has acted in two films, Vakeel Saab and Bheemla Nayak, which sort of build up and carry forward his political persona on the screen. This film takes the same strategy one step further and shows him as god/time.Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej film is meant for the fans only.

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Ratings: 2/5  Review By: Venkat Site:GreatAndhra

Overall, “Bro” has a promising start, and Pawan Kalyan’s early sequences are entertaining, but the film loses steam as it becomes more routine. It also has plastic emotions. There is a lack of strength in the writing, and the important sequences feel rushed.

Ratings: 3/5  Review By: 123Telugu Site:123Telugu

On the whole, Bro is a fantasy drama that relies heavily on the performance of Pawan Kalyan. The star actors mannerisms and style will go well with fans. Sai Dharam Tej does a neat job, and a few of his scenes with Pawan came out well. The first half has some moments going its way. But the way emotions and drama is handled is not great. A few bland scenes will bog down the impact. Bro will appeal to fans, but for others, it will end up being an okay watch. Hence it is suggested to keep your expectations in check.

Ratings: 2.5/5  Review By: Suman Site:Gulte

Overall, BRO has a good storyline, but the weak narrative does not let it becomes great. BRO makes a good watch for Pawan Kalyans fans but time will tell how it fares at the box office.

Ratings: 2/5  Review By: Telugu360 Site:Telugu360

Bro film works only for fans, subpar experience for all others. While trying to commercially elevate Pawans character, the writing team has overstuffed the fan elements aspect and lost the original soul of the film. Thamans energetic background score and Pawans past hit songs keep this film alive. An average film AT THE BEST!

Ratings: 2.25/5  Review By: Mirchi9 Site:Mirchi9

Overall, Bro offers somewhat fresh, yet familiar plot. However, the content fails to generate the emotions. It leaves one disinterested by the end. Give it a try for the theme and decent fun initially, but keep the expectations firmly under check.

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An investigating officer is assigned to investigate few brutal murders, where he zeroes in on Ravindra, a criminal lawyer who has penchant for secretly committing murders as the mastermind behind the crime.

Bro Release Date:

Apr 7, 2023 ( India) straight to Theaters

Ravi Teja Sushanth Anu Emmanuel Megha Akash Daksha Nagarkar Pujita Ponnada

Bro Director: 

Sudheer Varma

Bro Producer: 

Abhishek Nama Ravi Teja

Bro Production Companies:

Abhishek Pictures

Bro Distribution Companies:

Bro run time: .

2 Hours 20 Minutes (15 minutes)

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The 30 best films of 2023

As we wave goodbye to another year at the movies, we reflect on the films that have stayed with us – from the plastic fantastic to tense courtroom dramas.

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• Laurène Boglio

S o that’s a wrap for 2023… And it has been a banger. The 30 motion pictures you see in the list below are the result of intense internal deliberations deep in the LWLies secret lair in Shoreditch, and there was some democracy involved, but also a fair bit of common sense and personal lobbying. The list runs from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024 (to account a little bit for some early US releases, such as Poor Things and All of Us Strangers ), but we were fairly stringent on the cut-off. For our number one film, there’s something unassuming about it on first watch but, like all great art, it doesn’t just lodge itself in the mind, but demands repeated reappraisal and discussion.

30. Typist Artist Pirate King

For better and for worse, we say to Carol Morley: never change. She is someone who, throughout her career, has ploughed her idiosyncratic furrow with passion and intensity. Sometimes, the final products don’t land, but with her new one , a comic dissection of English manners as told through the life of artist Audrey Amiss, she has produced one of her best and most heartfelt movies, lifted no end by a wonderful central performance from the great Monica Dolan.

29. Anatomy of a Fall

Justine Triet’s 2023 Palme d’Or winner is powered by a stratospheric performance by the German actor Sandra Huller, who plays a novelist who is accused of killing her husband by pushing him out of the window of their pine chalet. The film takes us through the legal minutiae of the ensuing investigation, but is more interested in having us consider the slippery and abstract nature of truth.

28. How to Have Sex

One of 2023’s finest debuts, How to Have Sex is a film that filters vital questions regarding sexual consent through the chronicle of a classic rite-of-passage sun holiday. Three young female friends see this moment as a chance for some gloves-off thrill seeking, but the lads they hook up with have other ideas. Manning Walker picks apart a difficult moment in the path to maturity, and does so against the neon-lit landscape of Malia.

27. Napoleon

Ya gotta laugh though, haven’t you? No really, you do… Ridley Scott rolls out a grandiose historical biography of the 18th century French military tactician, and has Joaquin Phoenix play him like an up-tight incel whose omnipresent tricorne hat covers up a head full of deep Freudian neuroses. It’s a film that split viewers over its fidelity to the recorded reality and the extreme focus on Napoleon’s obsessive love for his wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby), but the battle scenes are some of Scott’s finest, and the whole thing, however you take it, is an unabashed hoot.

26. Rye Lane

Anyone who thinks the rom-com is dead should have a word with debutant director Raine Allen Miller, whose Rye Lane is a film which fondly borrows from the genre’s hallowed past while offering something completely fresh and invigorating. Blessed with the chemistry-heavy paring of David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah, this one was a big, charming win and hopefully the start of something big for its maker.

25. Evil Dead Rise

This was a good year for malevolent cheese graters (see also David Fincher’s The Killer ), and the one that crops up in Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise makes for one of the year’s most ingeniously nauseating scenes. This clever reshaping of the 1981 Sam Raimi original sees the action transplanted to a mouldering apartment block, and the film is all the better for its mixture of earnestness and humour, and of course the torrents of red stuff that fill the hallways.

24. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

As financially successful as they’ve always been, movies about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have always been awkward brand cash-ins aimed at an indiscriminate demographic of Prime-guzzling teens. Jeff Rowe, with the help of his pal Seth Rogen, takes a leaf out of the Spider-Verse playbook and delivers something new, genuine, heartfelt and very funny with this property. The animation is innovative, the script is very funny, and the voicework – especially from the four young newcomers playing the eponymous heroes in a half-shell – is absolutely top-notch.

23. Return to Seoul

Park Ji-min delivered one of the breakthrough performances of 2023 in Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul , in which she plays a tenacious Korean orphan who was fostered by parents in France, and who decides to return to the home she feels resentful towards to find the parents who abandoned her. It sounds like a traumatising weepie, but it’s very much not, as the protagonist’s practical, emotionally detached methods help to present this intriguing situation with humour and pathos in rich abundance.

22. Samsara

One of the measures by which we select the films that eventually make it on this list is to ask whether they’re showing us something we have never seen before. Samsara, from Spanish experimental filmmaker Lois Patiño, ticks that box and then some with this hush, ambient tale of transcendence and transport to a higher plane of being. At the 2023 BFI London Film Festival, this one played at the BFI IMAX, and we hope that it gets a few more showings there when it’s released in the new year.

21. Pacifiction

Spanish filmmaker Albert Serra rocked the 2022 Cannes competition with this insidious and subtle exploration of French colonial influence in the South Seas. Benoît Magimel, who’s fast making a name for himself as one of the world’s great actors, stars as a diplomatic emissary who wants to have his finger in every pie going, but whose attention is diverted when a possible end to his all-encompassing reign rolls into town in the form of a nuclear sub. Contains one of the year’s great shots of boats being tossed around by giant waves.

A big discovery was made in Christian Petzold’s latest film, Afire . And that discovery is that the words “Club Sandwich” as enunciated with a German lilt are in fact the funniest spoken words in all languages. For a director whose films tend to be on the more serious, melodramatic end of the spectrum, this was something a little different for him: a deceptively light comedy about a young novelist unable to overcome his pretensions and preconceptions of the world.

19. How to Blow Up a Pipeline

The tightest film of 2023 was Daniel Goldhaber’s How to Blow Up a Pipeline , a thoughtful dramatic adaptation of Andreas Malm’s 2020 non-fiction book which explores the morality of direct-action activism. Calibrated as a classic-era heist movie, in which a disparate crew comes together to – you guessed it! – blow up a pipeline, the film also to make sure that their message rings out across the landscape and leaves a chillingly ambiguous mark on the audience as well.

18. Fallen Leaves

The return of the king. Finnish maestro Aki Kaurismäki returns to the scene in 2023 doing what he does best: producing immaculate hangdog romances in which the poor, desolate and downtrodden find love on the chilly streets of Helsinki. There’s also surreal karaoke, tragic missed connections, evil capitalists, and one of the greatest cinema date scenes ever committed to film.

17. Earth Mama

A small but remarkable debut feature from Savanah Leaf which offers a visually and atmospherically unique take on Black parenthood in the modern age. Leaf is gifted with a taciturn but open-hearted lead performance from Tia Nomore as Gia, an expectant mother who has already had two of her kids taken from her custody by authorities and must now navigate a malevolent bureaucracy. It’s social realism with an ambient, more lushy visual twist.

16. Polite Society

One of the year’s finest British offerings came from the maker of one of the millennium’s best TV sitcoms: We Are Lady Parts. Nida Manzoor rises to the challenge of the feature film debut by whisking together a traditional tale of generational malaise among the bickering members of a Pakistani family in London, and a high-kicking action spectacular in which one teenager must save her sister from a conspiracy that could unravel the very fabric of the community. Very funny, completely charming – we can’t wait to see what Manzoor and star Priya Kansara do next.

15. Trenque Lauquen

The title of this intimate opus refers to a province in the west of Argentina, and it’s being used in the same way as David Lynch used the name Twin Peaks – to denote a locus for mystery and intrigue. Laura Citarella spins a tale of one woman’s journey through the rabbit hole of history and her obsession to uncover the details of a romance literally found between pages of books at the local library. But then it jackknifes suddenly into more surreal and profound territory, celebrating female autonomy and the allure of small, independent collectives.

14. Saint Omer

The time-honoured courtroom drama took on a new form in 2023, and at the vanguard of this change was Alice Diop’s extraordinary and harrowing Saint Omer . Its story, which is based on the writer-director’s own research, tells of a woman who’s in the dock on charges of murdering her young child, and her testimony takes us to some dark, morally and philosophically ambiguous places. We love Diop’s short films and documentaries, but this fiction feature debut is arguably her first masterpiece.

13. Past Lives

That rare bird: a film that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival that really delivers the goods. Playwright Celine Song transitions seamlessly to film with the lilting, long-distance romance of Past Lives , in which telecoms technology and social media help a Korean couple rekindle a formative romance with her having emigrated before things could really blossom. Tender, wistful and never judgmental, we’re just hoping and praying that Song isn’t chewed up and spat out by the Studio machine.

12. Passages

We’re not entirely sure who deserves top billing here. Could it be the three extraordinary leads in Ira Sachs’ Parisian partner-swapping ménage à trois ? Or could it be Sachs himself, who culled the story from his own formative experiences of Cupid’s poorly-aimed arrow? But maybe we’ll just give it to the costume department, especially the person who found the three-quarter length top that Franz Rogowski wears to a “meet-the-parents” luncheon.

2023’s model blockbuster, in more ways than one. More than just a movie, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a form of cinematic alchemy that achieves what so many aspire towards and so often fail spectacularly: pleasing everyone all the time. Meeting in the middle between corporate-mandated franchise extension and weirdo art movie, Barbie deserves every penny of its extraordinary success, not least for gifting Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling with two of their most perfect roles to date.

10. Oppenheimer

The film about a bomb that did the exact opposite at the box office. Christopher Nolan cements his movie-Midas status by giving us a glitchy, three-hour biopic of morally-scarred atomic bomb inventor Robert Oppenheimer, and making the sort of money usually reserved for films with spandex-clad movie stars and lots of awful CGI. Next to becoming Official God of Movies Throughout the Galaxy and Beyond, the sky’s the limit for what Nolan does next. And, of course, this could be his golden ticket come Oscar time…

9. The Killer

In 2020, David Fincher made the film Mank , which served as an ode to his departed father in that it was based on a film script he wrote. With The Killer , the famously-fastidious filmmaker has come up with a film which may serve as autobiography, the comic chronicle of a zen perfectionist assassin (played by Michael Fassbender) whose attempts to precision-calculate the requirements of his job always seem to come up short. Dismiss as slight at your peril.

8. Killers of the Flower Moon

This state-of-the-nation epic based on a ripping page-turned by New Yorker scribe David Gran saw its maker, Martin Scorsese, in a reflective mood. Killers of the Flower Moon is a film about the mechanics of genocide, carried out by wealthy white settlers against unknowing natives, but also one which ponders the tragically ephemeral nature of storytelling and, by extension, history itself. Leo’s great. Bobby’s brilliant. Garlands go to Lily Gladstone.

7. Showing Up

There’s been a murder, and the victim is the UK theatrical prospects of Kelly Reichardt’s scintillating new film, Showing Up . It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022 and there hasn’t been a whiff of it on these shores… until a Blu-ray release cropped up in online listings for the end of January 2024 (right before our cut-off for this poll). Michelle Williams stars as a cantankerous sculptor who has to deal with all manner of trifling nonsense to enable her to get the hard work of creativity done. It’s a beautiful film, and we hope that some people over here get to see it big.

6. Priscilla

While Baz Lurhman gave us a predictably OTT hot-foot through the life of Elvis Presley in 2022, Sofia Coppola delivers a better film is just about every respect with her supremely thoughtful, elegant and unshowy take on the early life of the King’s first wife, Priscilla Presley. It stars newcomer Cailee Spaeny who delivers a career-making turn as the porcelain doll who eventually cracks, with man-of-the-moment Jacob Elordi as her mamma-loving weirdo spouse. It’s biography with the Wiki bullshit pulled out and deep psychological analysis placed in its stead.

5. All of Us Strangers

Following a brief sojourn into the world of television, Andrew Haigh knocks it out of the stratosphere with his return to the big screen with this emotionally overwhelming adaptation of Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel, ‘Strangers’. Andrew Scott has seldom been better as a lonely writer whose memories of past loves (Paul Mescal) and family dramas (Jamie Bell, Claire Foy) coalesce into a time-switching tale of romance and regret. Plus, lots of eighties electro pop bangers on the soundtrack.

4. The Boy and the Heron

So is this Hayao Miyazaki’s third or fourth retirement movie? He definitely mentioned he was packing things in after Spirited Away, and that was five films ago now… Anyway, let’s not bother picking over all that, and be thankful for the fact that the Studio Ghibli grand fromage has delivered one of the Japanese animation house’s finest works , a melancholy compendium of pet themes and far-reaching philosophical inquiry. It’s ambitious and occasionally obscure, yet the seriousness of intent is always enveloped within the filmmaker’s patented brand of eccentric creativity.

3. Poor Things

It’s the film Yorgos Lanthimos was born to make! Okay, hyperbole aside, Poor Things feels like the sweet, sweet product of filmmaker who’s set out his intellectual stall ( Dogtooth ), done his industry dues ( The Favourite ), and has now been handed a carte blanche by the head of accounts to make whatever he god-damn wants. And this free adaptation of the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray casts Emma Stone in the role of globetrotting nymph Bella Baxter – a young woman with the brain of a child who’s learning human behaviour from scratch. It’s a stellar piece of cinematic craft, which acts as a gilded pedestal for a one-for-the-ages performance from Stone.

2. Asteroid City

The jury is still deliberating, but we can’t help but wonder if Wes Anderson’s latest mad missive is also his greatest to date. His interest in the telling of the tale as much as the tale itself manifests in the nesting stories of a theatre troupe putting on a play about an extraterrestrial sighting in the desert-town of the title. There’s more stars than Heaven in the movie, but special mention should go to long-time Anderson totem, Jason Schwartzman, who is gifted his first lead role in an Anderson film since Rushmore. In short, twisty, immaculately-directed mainstream metafiction has seldom been so fun. And so moving!

1. May December

If you take a peek in Todd Haynes’s trophy cabinet, you’ll notice he already has some LWLies silverware from when he secured the number one spot in with Carol for our 2015 films of the year. So consider this one the double. When we caught his scintillating, disorienting new one, May December , at the Cannes Film Festival, we walked from the screening unsure of what we’d just seen. Perhaps it was an acerbic comedy which handled the darkest of subject matters with dainty abandon? Or a big, brassy actor stand-off, with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore both on superlative form? Perhaps it was a stealthy critique of biographical cinema, screen acting and the impossibility of emulating another person on film? Maybe it was all of those things? Or none of them? To be frank, we still haven’t quite decided. But what we do know was that this was the film that still has us chortling, gasping and wincing just thinking about it, a discussion-point movie par excellence and another crowning achievement in the career of its director. Our only prayer now is that the award season set take notice. And if you wanna hear from the man himself, take a listen to this episode of Truth & Movies in which the august Hannah Strong interviewed him about the making of this brilliant film.

Published 19 Dec 2023

Tags: 2023 Cinema Andrew Haigh Christopher Nolan David Fincher Hayao Miyazaki Kelly Reichardt Martin Scorsese Sofia Coppola Todd Haynes Wes Anderson Yorgos Lanthimos

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Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.

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Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

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• Trivia This film is a complete reimagination of Caligula (1979) . 96 hours worth of never before seen footage that has been recovered many years after its release served as the basis for this new version, which was produced by author and historian Thomas Negovan . However, instead of expanding scenes with the new footage, the entire film was recut from scratch to create a unique version that doesn't contain a single frame from the original. This was done with the goal to be as close to Gore Vidal 's original script as possible. Great care has been taken to select alternate footage to not only change the tone of certain scenes, but also to honour the instincts of the actors. Additonally, visual effects were used to enhance scenes and to replace the cheap sets and backgrounds. AI technology was used to restore dialogue performances that were previously unusable, since they were plagued with background noises. A new music score was also composed for this new cut of the film. Originally planned for a limited theatrical release in late 2020, this version later premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.
• Connections Edited from Caligula (1979)

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