Feminichi Fathima Review by Fasil Muhammed is the first movie that is generating ripples not through shrill chants but a wink and a jibe at the patriarch. Debuting at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2024 and having just played at the Regional edition of the same unearthing in Kozhikode this is the indie gem that manages to be political, deeply relatable and surprisingly entertaining.
Politics as the title suggests is sewn into its DNA. However, Feminichi Fathima does not preach as it is the case with heavy-handed dramas. Otherwise, it resorts to laughter rather than anger a gentler, but no less effective strategy in comparison with the The Great Indian Kitchen by Jeo Baby.
The Story
Fathima is a housewife who is married to a religious man Ustad Ashraf, and is sufficiently religious and resides in the seaside town of Ponnani. She needs her husband to approve every decision she makes even that of purchasing a new bed. It is then presented with a string of small yet significant events showing the silent struggles of a woman in ordinary life.
Although The Great Indian Kitchen was developing a tense atmosphere of simmering up resentment against patriarchal society, Feminichi Fathima chose to present the humour to bring the reality of the hypocrisy of all who do not want to change, even though technology and society do change. Rather than large-scale defiance, the movie overindulges modest triumphs that may jolt even the least flexible thought processes.
A Parade of Female Perspectives
In the course of Fathima trying to get a bed, we see a number of different types of women, desperate to hold to tradition, too worn out to protest, placidly-supportive, even few that have already escaped. They all make a small and yet big revolution, in a way they do not even dream about.
A Small Film with a Big Heart
The majority of filming was done indoors in the house of Fathima with immobile, monitoring shots, which gives us an impression of mutes spectators. It is in moderate tempo, using restrained humour and sparse music that is absolutely on-point. Only 97 minutes, it is no-nonsense, centered and never dragging along.
Performances That Shine
Shamla Hamza plays Fathima pitch-perfectly and her transition, helplessness to self-reliance, is all too believable. It is possible to feel her frustrations she has, her silent rage, and her enjoyment in small adornments. Kumar Sunil (Sreedhanya Catering, Kolahalam, 18+) plays Ashraf with the right degree of arrogance and unintentional humour, but without resorting to cartoonish misogyny. Even the children actors are natural.
Final Take
A delicate but caustic satire, Feminichi Fathima incorporates a derogatory term with a linguistic twist (“feminichi”) into a certain symbol of passive resistance. It is not even a movie, but a sneak at masculine arrogance, and a bright example that even revolutions are capable of being as jocular as they are angry proclaiming.
If The Great Indian Kitchen made you angry, Feminichi Fathima will make you smile — and maybe even nod in agreement.