C U Soon movie review: A reminder to log in to the real world

"What you witnessed so far is the virtual life of characters in this film. C u soon in theatres with their real lives." Mahesh Narayanan's C U Soon - which is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video – ends with a sincere wish to once again see the world as we know it.

As he rightly mentioned, the movie is all about the virtual world.

Jimmy (Roshan Mathew), who is in the United Arab Emirates, meets Anu (Darshana Rajendran) on Tinder. And it’s a match. Their virtual relationship grows beyond Tinder, fast as the two share pictures and other details without wasting time.

Jimmy then goes on to make a virtual proposal to Anu, in the presence of his mother and cousin sister. In his bid to meet Anu, Jimmy takes the help of his cousin Kevin (Fahadh Faasil).

Just like Aneesh Chaganty's 2018 American film Searching, we get to see the lives of the characters in C U Soon through computer and mobile phone screens. What makes the film more interesting than other films with a similar plot is that the high-tech thriller is layered with solid emotional elements. The biggest challenge for the filmmaker here, perhaps, might be the inability to use the lengthy dialogues and montages to express a character’s feelings.

Mahesh Narayanan, who wrote, directed and edited the 90-minute thriller, has focused on the interactive feel of the film rather than going for any gimmicks. The general audience would take some time to sink in with the nail-biting experiment. A great deal of thought has gone into integrating screens into the plot.

The entire cast delivers spot-on performances. Roshan Mathew, with films like Moothon and Choked, had roles that most actors dream of. After seeing him as a silent soul in Moothon and a carefree husband in Choked, we get to see the full blast of his versatility in C U Soon. Darshana Rajendran has displayed her considerable acting chops and Fahadh is in his elements in the movie.
With a pumping background score by Gopi Sundar, Mahesh manages to maintain the spark while hiding his twists.

C U Soon may not end the debate on how to tell stories on digital platforms but it stands as a reminder that there could be innumerable possibilities.