To make a movie with just two or three characters who meet in the middle of a desert is never an easy task. Nevertheless, newcomer Arfaz Ayub takes up this challenge and genuinely tries to build an interesting narrative around whatever little he has. The mule, the vast expanses of sand and the deserted level cross station set in the middle of nowhere are visual props that are suitably used as backdrops in 'Level Cross' featuring Asif Ali and Amala Paul.
The desert is an interesting setting but the filmmaker has, at times, failed to use it quite convincingly in the narrative. For example, when the protagonist Raghu (Asif) tells Chaithaali ( Amala) that he can fix her a tulasi drink, you suddenly wonder if the two were meeting somewhere in Idukki, but then you remember, they are actually having a conversation in the middle of a desert! The duo meet in interesting circumstances. Chaithaali, who is injured after she falls off a running train is nursed back to health by Raghu, who works as a gate man at the level cross.
Chaithaali introduces herself as a psychiatrist and later reveals that she was trying to escape from her insane husband Zinju (played by Sharafudheen) who was travelling with her in the train. What captures you right from the start is the film's visual imagery, caught beautifully by Appu Prabhakar. Prem Navaz's production design too supplements the beauty of the setting.
Though the film appeals aesthetically, the narrative can get a little slow at the beginning, gi.