Footage

“Footage” (2024), Saiju Sreedharan’s Malayalam-language thriller, is his first feature. Starring Manju Warrier, Vishak Nair, and Gayathri Ashok, the film is told in a found-footage style, with the story revealed completely through video footage shot by the characters.

The film centres on a second unnamed young millennia couple vlogger troupe, captained by Vishak Nair and Gayathri, as they vibe indiscriminately across unknown swamps in their globe to amuse an imagined array of backers at home. Curious about the suspicious activities of their enigmatic neighbour (Manju Warrier), they follow her into the woods and soon find themselves in over their heads, entangled in a sinister trap. Their insatiable curiosity soon takes them to a spooky, full-moon, stormy, rain-laden night at the local Haunted House, where a spooky series of spine-tingling events and bone-chilling encounters begin.

Originally set up as a more traditional horror movie, complete with well-timed jump scares and a haunting atmosphere, Footage slowly transforms into a psychological thriller. The supernatural quickly gives way to deeper, more grounded themes, storytelling about postpartum depression, trauma, and societal perceptions of women. With its distinctive format and mesmerizing, layered storytelling, Footage provides a chilling examination of fear, grief, and truth in our age of digital voyeurism.

“Footage” (2024), Saiju Sreedharan’s directorial debut, is a pulse-pounding Malayalam thriller told entirely through found footage. It starts off as a creepy horror film with traditional jump scares, eventually unravelling into a complex, psychological thriller. The film weaves genre tropes with real emotion, creating a frightening, provocative portrait in an era obsessed with screens.