Aamis (2019) [Ravening]

Aamis [English title Ravening] premiered at Tribeca and this thriller from India is definitely worth watching. It’s both an off-beat love story and a rather wild and carnivorous thriller. Read more in our review below!

Aamis (or Ravening) is a new thriller drama from India that just premiered at Tribeca. The movie is essentially a love story but with a very carnivorous twist. In some ways, it’s reminiscent of the brilliant Raw but there is nothing supernatural about the story in Aamis [Ravening].

You will know where this story is going rather quickly but it does take its sweet time getting there. It’s okay though because this makes room for us to understand the characters. And the driving force for these two characters is love.

Both for each other and the love of food. Or, you know, specifically, all food that is meat related. This might sound weird, but it’s actually not. Not in the way this story evolves anyway. We’ll try to get into this, without spoiling the story, in this review.

For the love of… meat?!

I love good food and I enjoy trying new culinary treats, so I can get into the idea of Aamis pretty quickly. One of the lead characters is working on getting his Ph.D. in anthropology. Specifically, he looks at the kinds of meat eaten in this particular region of India.

The very laidback approach to “What’s normal to some people is weird to others” is at the heart of the story. Some people love fish, others loathe it. Some people enjoy red meat, others can’t stand it. And some people will eat all kinds of meat. Those are the two lead characters in Aamis.

But even though they enjoy meat in general, they still do seek out restaurants to make sure it’s cooked correctly and properly. It’s very much about making the food look and taste beautiful. There’s no eating raw roadkill or anything like that.

This truly is a love story focused on both meat and finding someone who shares a specific pleasure.

The very chaste love affair

While Aamis is about the love of meat for two people, Suman and Nirmali, it’s also about their love for one another. Mostly, love seems to blossom because they truly see and appreciate one another. They do not actually have a sexual affair or even touch each other. They simply go out to enjoy food (with meat in it) together.

However, they do also text one another all the time and the love between them becomes obvious. Unfortunately, they just can’t be together since one of them is married.

Nirmali is a doctor with her own practice. Also, she’s a married woman with a young son. Her husband, however, is rarely home. He’s also a doctor but mostly works in areas that desperately need doctors. Suman is a younger man, who is still studying to get his aforementioned Ph.D.

This all sounds like a sweet and innocent drama, but this is a thriller. And it all revolves around the love of meat! A little tidbit from the plot may whet your appetite further “As Nirmali’s tastebuds grow more adventurous, their relationship takes a dark and bizarre turn.”

So, yeah, there’s that!

Aamis premiere at Tribeca 2019

Aamis (which will probably also be known under the English title Ravening) was by Bhaskar Hazarika. This is only the second movie by Bhaskar Hazarika who previously wrote and directed the fantasy movie Kothanodi (2015).

The love story between Suman and Nirmali is sweet and innocent. Their love of meat becomes more adventures and does end up taking over completely. Especially for Nirmali while Suman will do whatever it takes to make her happy.

If you enjoy watching movies that show you different cultures and focus on characters, then Aamis is definitely worth your time. This is not horror, but it should satisfy most of those who enjoyed Raw [Grave].

Aamis [Ravening] premiered at the Tribeca film festival on April 26, 2019.

Details

Director: Bhaskar Hazarika
Writer: Bhaskar Hazarika
Stars: Lima Das, Arghadeep Baruah, Neetali Das

Plot

Two chaste lovers bow down to social taboos and repress their feelings, but doing so pushes them towards a horrific crime.