2018 - The Reminder

Watch out for spoilers. You've been warned.

This is not a movie you review. This is a reminder. It's a reminder that it takes less than a second to change the course of action, and nothing can ever remain the same, no matter how hard we wish for it to be. The 2018 Kerala floods were a devastating illustration of how unexpected life is. It demonstrates how people can band together and find strength and hope in one another, even in the most trying circumstances.

The floods provided as an upsetting example of nature's potential for both beauty and destruction. Communities were drowned in water in seconds, forcing residents to leave their houses with little more than the clothing on their backs. Many people's plans had to be abandoned to find shelter elsewhere due to the floods, which altered their course of action.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's classic poem "Water Water Everywhere, Not a Drop to Drink" from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is highlighted in 2018 in a big way. The compelling parallels drawn throughout remind us of all the things we take for granted. The scene where the reporter washes his face with bottled water in front of the guy whose community travels great distances to obtain clean water, which is a basic necessity, made this point very clear.

It illustrates that individuals were not subject to discrimination because of societal systems such as caste, creed, religion, occupation, or financial standing when faced with natural calamities, or in this case, floodwaters. The movie highlights this explicitly with the narratives of Joy Mathew and Lal. It prompts us to treat everyone with kindness and respect, and the helping hands of the volunteers and donors and the fisherman did not discriminate with their help while also running the course of staying alive amidst raging waters. This pushes us to look back and celebrate humanity in the face of a tragedy.

Finally, it is a reminder that despite living in the age of propaganda-ridden, fact-free art pieces, we will never forget the helping hands and the support given in the time of need and how it makes us stronger than ever.