FILM REVIEW: “Fourth Floor”

Big Boss 4 Title winner, Aari Arjunan, plays the lead role in the psychological horror thriller, Fourth Floor. Directed by L.R. Sundarapandi, the film’s female leads are played by Deepshika and Pavithra. The supporting cast includes Director-turned-actor Subramaniyam Siva, Thalaivaasal Vijay, Athithya Kathir and child actress Srivarshini.

The group of YouTubers arrive at a remote building on the extreme outskirts of Chennai to shoot a horror film, impressed by its broody look from the outside. At about the same time, Mumbai-based Dheeran (Aari Arjunan) receives a short phone call during which Anu (Pavithra) implores him to come to Chennai to help her with a current emergency. Shortly after his arrival in Chennai, Dheeran finds himself checking into the same building occupied by the YouTubers.

Dheeran soon befriends the other occupants of the Fourth Floor but his nights are plagued by awful nightmares and strange happenings. A gruesome murder outside a courtroom, a crooked politician and a dangerous bunch of goons add to his woes.

Dheeran sets out to find answers and his search leads to some very disturbing truths. How he deals with the new challenges forms the rest of the story.

Despite the absence of tier one actors in the film, Fourth Floor features some outstanding acting performances. Aari Arjunan delivers a polished and intense portrayal of Dheeran, accurately portraying the many emotions demanded of the role.

Deepshika as Swetha does a commendable job of her role, while Pavithra in the role of Anu is outstanding. Thalaivaasal Vijay makes an indelible mark playing Krishnamurthy while Subramaniyam Shiva makes a formidable antagonist. Child actress Srivarshini delivers a magnetic performance as Sara.

A major highlight of the film is the cinematography by J.Laxman MFi whose varied palettes include stunning use of light and very creative framing.

Dharan Kumar steps completely out of his comfort zone in his background score, augmenting the film in each frame. He also shines in his songs.

Writer-director L. Sundarapandi shows great promise for most of the film, faltering in the closing 15 minutes of the film. The drop in pace, the unrealistic action sequences and a dragged out climax that takes too many liberties with logic weaken the tension set by the rest of the film. Despite this shortcoming, Fourth Floor is a largely engaging film with a strong storyline and good acting performances.

Fourth Floor scores 7 points out of 10.