Wearing a T-shirt with the words “Never Lie”, Stephen walks into a police station and confesses that he has killed nine women. Police officer Michael (Michael Thangadurai) isn’t convinced. When the psychiatrist Seema (Smruthi Venkat) interviews Stephen (Gomathi Shankar), she too wonders whether he is a serial killer or a serial liar.
Stephen’s sessions with Seema suggest a troubled childhood. His father and mother (Kuberan and Vijayshree) are the kind of textbook monstrous parents who produce monsters in turn. Meanwhile, Michael tries to find out more about Stephen’s girlfriend (Shrisha) while also trying to locate the missing victims.
Stephen is out on Netflix. First-time director Mithun Balaji has co-written the Tamil thriller with Gomathi Shankar, also making his acting debut.
The plot treats the dastardly exploits of a brutal life-taker like a mind game. The 123-minute time-passer is replete with split screens and unreliable claims.
Viewers who have watched the same films that have inspired the makers are in for an even-steven experience. They know what to expect. They might find the overstretched attempts to create suspense ultimately unfulfilling, the lack of insight glaring in a film about perverse psychology.
There are convenient gaps in the police investigation, all in aid of a sequel. The disinterest in finding the bodies that might support or undermine Stephen’s claims punctures the tension that initially holds the film in place. The most memorable scenes revolve around the parents, with Vijayshree particularly striking as Stephen’s mother.
Gomathi Shankar is a compelling misogynist hiding behind a disturbed backstory. The film’s gimmickry neither outstays its welcome nor makes a case for investing too much in Stephen’s truth.
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