′Jallikattu′ is a ritual or a game that has been played since before the common era in India’s Tamil region. Similar to a rodeo, the person who stays the longest on the back of an ox is considered the winner. The film begins in a quiet village in the countryside, with a buffalo running away from a slaughterhouse. The village men try to capture the beast, and even the men from neighboring villages start to join in, creating chaos intermingled with confusion, violence, and hatred beyond control.
Jallikattu addresses the issues of latent brutality and madness in humans, particularly how the violence and savageness ruled by manliness are justified, expressed, and accepted. The screams of men and beasts and the sound of people’s footsteps fill the screen as soon as the film begins, along with the music with an intense beat that matches the tempo. Lijo Jose PELLISSERY’s directing captures the chaotic scenes intermingled with dozens of people with a rapid rhythm, making the viewers unable to tear their eyes away from the screen for even a second. (PARK Sun Young)