Quite often good movies don’t get the credit they deserve. I was looking to kill time during the last couple of weeks as I am on my notice period. I got two good movie recommendations. One of them was ‘Thelma’. None of the actors cast in the movie are big names, but the story and execution of the script is just perfect.
The Plot
Thelma is a 93-year old woman living alone. She is in touch with her grandson, daughter and son-in-law who live in the same city. But still, she desires to be independent and wield control over her life.
Thelma is not tech savvy so her grandson tries to teach her how to use a computer. This is the adorable part of the movie.
In addition to this, Thelma is introduced to Mission Impossible movies via an ad in the newspaper. And she is kinda given a brief summary of the movie by her grandson.
Her love for her grandson leads to her losing money to a phone call fraud where the caller mentions that her grandson has been arrested. She being a digital novice is unable to transfer money to the fraudster via electronic methods.
Thelma ends up posting the money to an address. This does feel like a hole in the movie plot because an arrest can’t be handled effectively when the person is getting money via post. But anyway, I didn’t pay too much attention to this.
But once Thelma realises that this was a scam, she wants to get back her money and exact revenge. In addition to this, she wants to do it without looping in her grandson or daughter or son-in-law.
What ensues is a fun adventure of a 93-year old. Anything I mention beyond this will be a kind of spoiler. So, I advise the reader to watch the movie and enjoy it.
My Grandma
Of course the movie struck a personal chord as I was reminded about my stubborn independent grandmother when I watched the movie. I do regret my inability to spend more time with her during the last three years.
I remember that she wanted to drink coffee in spite of the warnings by the doctors. Before coffee culture and the associated obsession became a cultural phenomenon, I had already seen a ‘Kaapi’ addict in my grandma. She used to barge into the kitchen and eat whatever she wanted. Eventually we had to lock the kitchen to ensure that she ate only the dishes recommended by the doctors.
The movie also reminded me of the days when we bought her a smartphone and taught her how to use it. Unfortunately, she didn’t live up to the age of 93. We lost her in January this year. But the sweet memories remain.
Overall, I would say that Thelma is a sweet watch. I would give it a 10/10. Do watch it on Hotstar.