Ruins
The current pandemic will go down in history not only on the challenges that the whole world went through but also on how we have turned to technology and digital means to be able to continue our ways of living, learning, health care, and more. As some parts of the globe ease up with their restrictions where the majority of its people are vaccinated, there are still major parts wherein the pandemic is still a crisis far from over.
Today’s feature film review entails a fictional story but somehow captures true to life challenges of health workers everywhere around the world during the uncertain period of the pandemic. Wherein, the chaos of the infection has been life-threatening not just to the physical well-being of the health workers but also mentally and emotionally. A film titled “Ruins” written and directed by Jay Mohan.
The feature film Ruins is not your typical movie where every situation is laid out for you to see. Due to the pandemic restriction, this one has taken its creativity not just within the film but also for the viewers to inventively visualize the situation on their own. It will test one’s creative prowess on how far one can recreate every story told and handle the difficulty of the circumstances.
The story of Ruins tells a futuristic story of the aftermath of the pandemic human annihilation until they found an artifact that recorded accounts in a digital platform from essential medical health workers that experienced first-hand hospital and emergency chaos nine years before the destruction caused by the virus. Six major health care workers shared their everyday experiences throughout the chaos of the spread of the virus. From the everyday difficulty in the hospital to the challenges of getting by each personal life is heart-wrenchingly overwhelming. Imagine battling a crisis with an unknown solution, where essential supplies are depleting, and medical workers are starting to be conflicted on how to survive. It is unbearable.
Watching this movie had me experience the terrible situation of every medical team all over the world. It was like this film is voicing out the needs and challenges that need to be addressed during this time of pandemic before it is too late. Aside from its very timely and captivating story. This movie was excellently executed by its very talented cast. Gracie Piper, Jiju Nair, Manoj Balraj, Manoj Pillai, Radhika Sajith, and Ranjan Misra were phenomenal. They are the kind of actors that simply transform into characters and take you to the location where the story takes place. I love how they delivered their stories, though it was troubling and heartbreaking, I just can’t help but listen and be able to find out what happened next. They have exerted the limitations of the pandemic restriction and passion with acting to a whole new level, kudos with that.
Lastly, of course, commendation to the talented mind of the creator of this movie, Jay Mohan. From the mesmerizing opening details of this film to the in-depth recollection from every character, I knew that I was bound to discover an amazing story. I love how creative it is and how he was able to sustain the energy of every scene from the beginning until the end. If you haven’t seen it, you’re definitely missing a lot, better catch this as soon as it hits theaters and film festivals!
~ Review by Helena Zurc, Utah Film Festival Screener
