Revivals
Report to Mother
John Abraham
U.S. Premiere of New 4K Restoration
Indelibly capturing the political tumult of 1970s Kerala in stark black and white, and enduring as one of South Indian cinema’s most essential works, John Abraham’s Report to Mother follows a man’s discovery of a dead body and his journey to notify the deceased’s mother.
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Country
- India
- Language
- Malayalam
- Year
- 1986
- More information
- Official film page
Screenings
The final feature by legendary Malayalam filmmaker John Abraham, Report to Mother is an astonishing work of political commitment and aesthetic experimentation. The first production of the Odessa Collective, which raised funds by screening films and performing in villages with the aim of creating a true “people’s cinema,” the film follows Purushan (Joy Mathew), who discovers a dead body while en route to Delhi and sets out to inform the mother of the deceased of his apparent fate, while gathering an eclectic group of companions along the way. Indelibly capturing the political tumult of 1970s Kerala in stark black and white, Report to Mother has endured as one of South Indian cinema’s most essential works.
Restored by Film Heritage Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory and Digital Film Restore Pvt. Ltd. in association with Odessa Collective with special thanks to cinematographer Venu ISC and editor Bina Paul. Funding provided by Film Heritage Foundation. Restored in 4K from one of the only two surviving prints: the first-generation 35mm release print preserved at the NFDC-National Film Archive of India.
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The final feature by legendary Malayalam filmmaker John Abraham, Report to Mother is an astonishing work of political commitment and aesthetic experimentation. The first production of the Odessa Collective, which raised funds by screening films and performing in villages with the aim of creating a true “people’s cinema,” the film follows Purushan (Joy Mathew), who discovers a dead body while en route to Delhi and sets out to inform the mother of the deceased of his apparent fate, while gathering an eclectic group of companions along the way. Indelibly capturing the political tumult of 1970s Kerala in stark black and white, Report to Mother has endured as one of South Indian cinema’s most essential works.
Restored by Film Heritage Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory and Digital Film Restore Pvt. Ltd. in association with Odessa Collective with special thanks to cinematographer Venu ISC and editor Bina Paul. Funding provided by Film Heritage Foundation. Restored in 4K from one of the only two surviving prints: the first-generation 35mm release print preserved at the NFDC-National Film Archive of India.
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