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Lakshmy Ramakrishnan’s House Owner is an unfiltered take of an ageing relationship, a film that does not dwell in the romanticism of the way elderly couples are portrayed, where the love for each other is expressed only through the way the care for each other, even if the care is not reciprocative. This romance is set in the backdrop of the Chennai floods, which does not bring them closer, but only tests their bond.

House Owner deals with the story of a retired colonel suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, P.K Vasudevan (played by Kishore) and his wife, Radha (played by Sriranjini). The initial moments delves into the psyche of Vasu, who considers himself to be his twenty-five year old self, and he questions his own identity in a mirror reflection. The film doesn’t judge Vasu for his rude behaviour that accompanies his old age and ailment during the moments where we see the couple in their mundane lives. 

Vasu’s key to remember or even approach the present is only through the mirror events that had occurred duing his past. His present is set in the 2015 Chennai floods and a predominant portion of the earlier days are connected to his roots in Kerala, a place that is mainly known for its water reserves. The flashbacks mostly comprise of Vasu’s early encounters with a young Radha, and their eventual marriage. The saturated colours in the flashback is contrasted with the stark, greyish and gloomy tone of the present, in which the camera acts more as a participant, with the close ups and tighter framing, you get a closer peek into the lives of the couple. The interiors are shot with a lot of lively staging and the claustrophobia is much reserved to the end.

The film takes its own time and doesn’t hurry towards the third act. The final moments are the film’s USP, where we see the film slowly ascends into the disaster film genre. At this moment, the film reduces its flashback intercuts and becomes more focussed, thereby putting ourselves into the characters’ shoes. Ghibran’s score does not entirely drown the rumbling ambience of the film and elevates the climactic moments.

Sriranjini steals the show with her emphatic portrayal of Radha, a woman whose love for her husband is unrequited, even if she doesn’t get any of that in return. The character’s mix of sacrifice and frustration is conveyed with aplomb. Kishore comes up with a credible performance of a less-liked personality, though his dialect feels a bit contrived. The sequences that are set in present feels less directed and more real. The film, in no way, milks the lead’s mental condition for a few cheap laughs and melodrama, and that speaks volumes about the maker’s sensibility.

One of the major issues in the film is that Vasu’s stubbornness and his adamancy towards not leaving his house could have been substantiated in a better way, other than showing it only through his fits of rage. But these minor issues aside, House Owner is a painstakingly crafted romance that unfolds in the times of a disaster, a Titanic sans the syrupy romance.

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