The Strange Case of Shiva

An esoteric take on young designer Shiva's obsession with the photo of a girl snapped during a mysterious encounter. Within his daily routine, he focuses obsessively on this picture of her that keeps triggering his voyeuristic impulses. Caught in a web of his own delusions, Shiva awaits a possible resolution. Without words, but with a refined sound design and stirring music, the director builds up the tension and suggests the mood of the main character. The impressive camerawork insists on close-ups and striking details that give a metaphysical layer to this minimalist cinematic tale.
This is the debut of the self-taught young South Indian director Arun Karthick, who makes films through his Cinema Obscura platform and is certainly an exciting new voice from the Tamil film scene.