Never Ending Movie Carnival
Never Ending Movie Carnival
Stephen Movie Review: An eulogy for a crime and epithet for deranged obsession.
‘Stephen’ directed and co-written by Mithun starts off from where many crime thrillers end – the killer confessing his deeds. In a uniquely fashioned crime psychological thriller, an ordinary man, who goes by the eponymous name (played by Gomathi Shankar in his debut as lead) confesses his crime of cold-bloodedly killing nine girls in a police station. The bigger question it incites – whether he is guilty or a victim in a darker game!
Mithun creates a world that is both fragile and unsettling, yet emotional, with the narrative propelled the incisive investigation by a psychiatrist (Smruthi Venkat) and cop (Michael Thangadurai) who find themselves grappled in the twisted web of childhood trauma, deceit, and psychological manipulation.
Initially planned as a short 40- minute film, Stephen evolved into a tense, atmospheric thriller. Instead of chasing shadows, Stephen invites you to sit with the uncomfortable truth that the “why” is often far more haunting than the “who”.
Mithun’s work may be lauded but he is miles short of achieving the technical finesse and intellectual acumen that a smart thriller requires. Stephen required to gloss its uneven edges – its complex and conflicted, but convoluted and not consistent. On one hand, it dares to be edgy on the lines of the neo-noir genre and on the other hand, it degenerates to embracing commercial barometers.
As far as the novelty factor goes, Stephen dares you to sit with the uncomfortable truth that the “why” is often far more haunting than the “who” with its nifty production values, which many crime playbooks don’t do.
Stephen movie review – final words
Stepping into the clumsy and convoluted world of Stephen, which is both demanding and rewarding, Gomathi Shankar (he has also co-written the film) does a good job of staying understated. He renders a layered performance while striding the unpredictability involved in his character. While Smruthi is efficient in her part, Vijayashree as Stephen’s mother renders a winning performance in a more complex role that involves an undercurrent of emotions, from naivety to exuding creeps, she is superbly convincing.
I am going with 3 stars out of 5 for Stephen. The 2-hour 3 minutes film is streaming on Netflix from 5th Dec 2025.
Ahwaan Padhee, is an IT Techie/Business Consultant by profession and a film critic/cinephile by passion, is also associated with Radio Playback as well, loves writing and conducting movie quizzes. More By Ahwaan Padhee