'Stephen' movie is available to watch on Netflix. Here's a breakdown of the plot and our verdict on whether it's a hit or miss.
The Tamil film, Stephen, is a psychological crime thriller, featuring Gomathi Shankar as the titular character, 'Stephen', Smruthi Venkat as criminal psychiatrist, 'Seema', and Michael Thangadurai as investigating officer, 'Michael'. The film is an unusual take on a serial killer movie, where the focus of the story lies more on why the victims were killed rather than who committed the act. Unlike the usual cat-and-mouse chase stories involving criminals and investigators, Stephen offers a fresh angle, a delve into the killer's psyche. Here's our review on whether or not the movie is worth your time.
Stephen begins with a seemingly calm and soft-spoken man named 'Stephen Jebaraj' (Gomathi Shankar), walking into a police station and voluntarily confessing to the brutal murders of nine young women, whom he lured with fake acting auditions. It confused viewers about why such crucial information is spoiled right in the beginning of the movie. However, over time, they come to understand the significance of the scene and the movie's direction. Rather than 'who-dunnit', it focuses on 'why-dunnit' and explores the thought process behind a serial killer's chilling manslaughter.
'Stephen's' case initially appears straightforward, but it becomes a battle of wits when a criminal psychiatrist, 'Dr. Seema' (Smruthi Venkat) is brought in to determine his mental fitness for trial. As she delves into his past during interrogation sessions, the film explores the complex themes of guilt, morality, trauma, and manipulation. The story then shifts focus to 'Stephen's' traumatic history, including an abusive childhood and past violent incidents, which are slowly revealed as potential motivations for his actions.
The audience is kept guessing about whether 'Stephen' is genuinely guilty, a victim of circumstance, or a master manipulator playing a larger, darker game. Although the emotional aspect gives the plot depth and initially locks the audience's attention, with time, it feels unnecessarily stretched. "Way too lengthy for its own good. The ending lands nicely, and the entire cast performs neatly, but the film loses its grip once the secrets start unfolding. Could've been tighter and more thrilling," wrote an X-user.
The main point of the film is to raise the question of whether 'Stephen' is a villain or a grey character, forced to take the path of evil by his unfavorable past experiences. Throughout the film, 'Stephen' narrates a story of an abusive childhood and trauma to the police and a psychiatrist, making himself appear as a sympathetic character driven to murder due to his circumstances. After being sentenced to double imprisonment and placed in a police van, 'Stephen' has an imaginary conversation with apparitions of his parents, his girlfriend 'Krithika', and his nine victims. This climactic sequence reveals his true nature.
The viewers finally get to know that 'Stephen' was a psychotic killer all along, who killed his own pet puppy as a child. 'Stephen' even killed his tyrannical mother in a fit of rage after she tore up his job offer, and then murdered his father when he agreed to take the blame. He also killed his girlfriend, 'Krithika', after she was shocked by his confession of parental murder. The nine other women were killed because they reminded him of 'Krithika', and he found pleasure in making them speak like her before killing them.
'Stephen' admits that his surrender, confession, and psychiatric evaluation were a staged drama designed to distract the police and get a lighter sentence on grounds of good behaviour. Director Mithun Balaji successfully offers a fresh take on the serial killer archetype, and our verdict is that the movie is a good one-time watch for psychological thriller fans. Gomathi Shankar's "powerful, multi-layered lead performance" and the movie's psychological depth make it worth giving a watch.
Have you watched the movie, Stephen on Netflix? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know.
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