Love's myriad phases - the waiting, watching from the sidelines, yearning to be close, the inhibition to reveal - set against the backdrop of a grey past with a murder to the boot has a nice ring to it. 'Lavender' explores the shades of love against a dark undertone.

Thematically, 'Lavender's focus is unwavering. Take for instance the title of the movie. It is the name of a flower, which the leading lady in the movie loves. She gets a bouquet of it frequently from an admirer. There is also that lavender tone pervading the screen and one can even get a whiff of the fragrance.

The pace of the movie is meandering. For those who expect a thriller, the going could feel slow. But 'Lavender' is not just any thriller. It is conceived in a different mould altogether. One could feel immersed in the drama unfolding because of the pace.

This movie has a lot of experimental features including the way in which the story has been conceptualized. Direction by Altas T. Ali is promising. He has narrated a not so unusual story in a different manner. There are gaps here and there and at times the narration does not hold the interest. It is a demanding movie. The gripping does not come from the makers and that is up to the audience to find.

Anoop Menon's script is also quite impressive. Even the silences and pauses in the script speaks. The cinematography has captured Thailand beautifully. The camera also captures the mood of the movie. The songs are brilliant. Shankar Mahadevan's rendering, Deepkav Dev's compositions are apt for the movie.

Rahman as a lover with a brooding past has handled the challenging role adequately well. Iranian artiste Elham Mirza does not betray her lack of Malayalam language skills and has given a rounded performance. Nishan, Anoop Menon, Aju Varghese, Govind Padmasurya and others add to the intrigue and has done their roles well.

'Lavender' has intrigue and romance all unfolding like a poem. It has potential which has not been perfected cent percent, but is convincing. 'Lavender', a two hour movie is a highly watchable movie, especially for those who prefer a realistic take in a time frame which is natural.

Rating - 2.5 /5