Movie : Halo
Director : Reva Zane
Halo is a story about love surrounded by cosmic conspiracies , intense dialogues, humourous sequences and drama galore.
The movie has certain elements of a satire. It shows a world preponderantly dominated by the labyrinthine pangs of bureaucracy. Their nefarious impact has not even spared the angels treading in and around paradise. Specifically the benevolent and humanitarian souls of Venus and Cupid devise a dexterous plot bring a couple on earth together.
However, they plan to do so with some methodical , systematic and professional help from certain Seraphims and Cherubims.
Cupid is the ancient Roman god of love. The counterpart to Eros and Amor.
Venus on the other hand is the goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility according to Roman mythology.
Cherubims are the angels who are closest to God. They encircle his throne and emit an intense fiery light representing his love.
Seraphim on the other hand considered “fiery serpents” and not even the other divine beings may look at them. There are only four of them and each has four faces and six wings.
A plethora of themes have been explored in the movie. The first being the theme of old school love. A story involving the knight in shining armour and his damsel in distress. There are scenes that shall remind us about the guilty glances of shy lovers. Their bashful utterances, and their sheepish smiles would remind the audience about the gestures lost in the ravages of time.
The theme of old school love perhaps injects a certain sense of genuinity in the eyes of the the gods and the angels.
The title itself suggests something precious, something sacred , something beyond the ordinary, something definitely not around the grips of the mundane.
An entire cosmic conspiracy takes place to bring two lovers together.
There are other themes that dominate the narrative as well. There are recurrent themes of chivalry in the movie.
Perhaps there is also an attempt to turn the critical eyes at modern love, their metamorphosed definitions and their respective implications.
Certain parts of the story successfully satirise the notion of love, its true nature and how delusional people get when they are affected by this beautiful disease.
There are sometimes a number of sardonic comments on heaven and divinity written by writers like Rossetti, Mark Twain and Gk chesterton, William Shakespeare. They add to the humour of the story. They erase the gap between the superfluous and the somewhat serious. It intentionally questions the elevated status of man who is in love. It also questions the conflicts that apparently take place in heaven over trivial matters. Matters of little or no concern.
The aspect of drama is noteworthy in the movie. Drama is what drives the narrative forward. There is a decent balance of little and excess in terms of dialogues and expressions.
The line ” Every lover is a warrior” solidifies one’s belief in the potency of true love.
The performances are noteworthy as well. Specifically the contrast between characters that are overtly dramatic and characters that are more pragmatic and subtle.
The technical aspects are worth a mention. They impeccably complement the dialogues and story of Halo.
There is a blend of levity and seriousness in the movie. It is a movie that shall entertain the audience and make them laugh on a day that has not particularly gone well for them.
