Written and directed by Sidharth Srinivasan
Starring Avantika Akerkar, Noble Luke and Sudhanva Deshpande
Running time: 1 hour and 36 minutes
Currently unrated but depicts funerary rites, cannibalism and a healthy dose of male and female nudity
Language: English and Hindi (about 50/50)

by Allison Yakulis

You’re out at a club, and you meet someone very hot who makes out with you in a parking lot and appears very much a - as the kids say - “certified freak seven days a week”. But she insists you’ll have to go back to her place first. And when you get there her mom is home, her sister is home, there’s a priest they’ve invited over. Oh, and her dad is chained up, muzzled and clearly dying right in front of you of some mysterious long term illness.

Reader, I ask you - you nope right out of there, right? Nobody is that attractive, right?

Luckily for us, Neel (Noble Luke), lacks this self-preservational instinct. He definitely SAYS he’s leaving on several occasions, but he never seems to get around to it as he keeps getting guilted, threatened or seduced into staying way longer than I think most of us would.

It’s exactly these types of problems which prevent Kriya from being a total slam-dunk - murky character motivations, some lackluster line reads and a bad case of “some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door” behavior on Neel’s part. Nevertheless, there are several elements that are very well executed. That hook is still a compelling one, the cultural perspective is inherently (and refreshingly) different from Catholic-derived horror and the visual style is both beautiful and unique. While not a must-see, there’s still a lot to like here.

I do wish to make a point about cultural differences. To understand some pretty key themes in the film, you will need to know the broad-strokes beliefs of Hinduism (polytheism, reincarnation, the importance of duty) or you run the risk of not “getting it”. Even better would be knowing a few things about what a traditional funeral looks like, or what superstitions around ghosts, possession and death are commonly believed. While not mandatory, having some background increases one’s understanding of the rituals shown in the film, and at which points they are divergent from the norm.

This isn’t itself a critique on the film - plenty of spooky movies from America or Europe rely heavily on the audience being familiar with Christianity, and they hit differently if that knowledge is lacking. When one isn’t steeped in Christian symbolism, an upside down cross can look pretty similar to one that is right side up. Similarly, during the funeral rites we see the family giving food to the father’s body, which may sound strange but is actually a common part of a funeral. The perversion is that the food they are giving is, not balls of rice, but instead raw meat - possibly even beef. This is shockingly sacrilegious, but only if you understand that not only is the food “wrong”, but that meat from a cow is the worst possible choice.

Where Kriya seemed less successful (and with the caveat that I could have missed a trick in my own ignorance), is that the narrative seems to write things off as “supernatural stuff”. We’re observing a family under a sort of curse, plus one haplessly horny patsy in Neel. The nature of this curse is divulged over the course of the film, but its exact mechanics aren’t readily discussed, which leaves it feeling nebulous and vague. Not to mention that sati (the controversial and currently outlawed practice of “widow burning”) is referenced repeatedly, not performed, and then not discussed whether this omission had any otherworldly repercussions for anyone.

The most enjoyable part of the film is simply how it looks. For a horror film set half at night, Kriya has an incredibly warm color palette and a masterful use of light and shadow. I haven’t seen anything look quite like this does, and it’s wantonly beautiful. Srinivasan adeptly employs classic cinematic flourishes like using weird high or low angles, shooting with mirrors, split focus, and more, which sounds disorienting but in practice feels riveting. Little transitionary moments like the nightclub or the drive to the house are made more dynamic and cinematic from the lighting or the absence of it. And this isn’t even touching on the climax of the movie taking place in harsh morning light edged in greenery. The visual language of Kriya is so self-possessed and confident that it’s impossible to ignore.

For me, at least, Kriya failed to stick the landing. Perhaps there were a few layers that escaped me, but there seemed to be a bit of hand waving in lieu of real answers in the final act. Further, the movie relies on its audience having some familiarity with both the basic beliefs of Hinduism and with its funerary rituals to understand what is happening at various points in the film - something I think a lot of Western viewers may lack. While I wholeheartedly recommend giving Kriya a shot, understand that it may not be flawlessly executed, or even really intended for you. But for horror fans interested in expanding their horizons a bit, I can say I’ve never seen anything quite like it before, and I’m glad I got the chance to do so.

Playing via Fantasia Festival on August 29 at 11:15pm - more info here.