A man, Stephen Jebaraj, walks into a police station and calmly confesses to the murder of nine women. Given his calm demeanour, the cops, led by Inspector Michael (Michael Thangadurai), bring in criminal psychologist Seema (Smruthi Venkat) to determine if he is truly a sociopath or a fraud. Going by the Liar’s paradox—if a liar says he is lying, can that be taken as the truth? Stephen even wears a sweatshirt that says, “Never lie.”
Directed by debutant Mithun, Netflix’s latest Tamil film Stephen, (dubbed in other languages and also subtitled) attempts to explore a serial killer’s psyche, starting its narrative where most conventional thrillers end: with a confession. Starring Gomathi Shankar in the titular role, the film presents itself as a mind-game between an unflappable, twisted ‘alleged’ killer and the psychiatrist tasked with evaluating his mental state. The premise is intriguing, and though most of the film unfolds through the interrogation sessions, it is engaging.
Stephen had a troubled childhood, with abusive parents (Kuberan and Vijayshree), who might have just flipped a switch in his brain that turned him into a psychopath. He is a complex character, who claims to have killed the women—all aspiring actresses– while the cops flounder about solving the case, and locating the bodies.
Director Mithun, who co-wrote the screenplay with the lead actor, effectively builds an uneasy atmosphere, with shadowy lighting, tight frames, and shifting timelines. Gomathi Shankar, in his debut role, plays Stephen with a weird, creepy intensity, without making any extra effort to look unhinged. The attitude that charmed the women, who ‘auditioned’ for him, turns menacing, sly or vulnerable during the questioning.
The film’s inventiveness and admirable ambition cannot keep it from sagging in the middle, before recovering eventually and coming up with a chilling climax. It is a cerebral crime thriller—a character study and police procedural– in which nothing is what it seems, with an unreliable narrator running rings around the cops, as a Ferris Wheel appears as a recurring motif. While Gomathi Shankar’s compelling performance anchors the entire two-hour runtime—he and director Mithun are talents to watch for. However, with a ‘to-be-continued’ flashing at the end, Stephen may just be overstaying his welcome.
Stephen
Directed by Mithun
Casat Gomathi Shankar, Michael Thangadurai, Smruthi Venkat and others
On Netflix.
