Jolly Joseph’s shocking case left everyone horrified – when her entire family died over the course of 14 years around her under mysterious circumstances, things truly started to get a bit suspicious. The true-crime documentary film, directed by Christo Tomy brings forth all the facts that audiences might or might not know about the case to give us an in-depth rundown into the evil and unhinged behaviour of a person whom people described as “jovial, friendly, jolly and pious”. The movie has a runtime of 95 minutes.
– The Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
This India Today Originals Production starts off with a voice-over as we are taken to the sleepy village of Koodathayi in Kozhikode district in Kerala, India. Video footage of the arrest is immediately followed by a talking head of Jolly Joseph’s son discussing his disbelief surrounding his mother’s actions, and we are immediately transported down a dark and grim rabbit hole thanks to the tense background music and the rather well-done opening sequence.
Right after that, though, the docufilm feels more like a Wikipedia entry that drones on and on about the case as if it knows what it has to say next and must say it in a particular sequence. The storyline’s flow feels forced and rigid and you find yourself a little lost as you are bombarded with known information relentlessly. I was left a little confused as to why they didn’t try to do anything a little new or fresh, and there was nothing new added to the storytelling to make it a little exciting and less predictable. Even breaking it down into a few episodes would have also worked in the series’ favourite.
Although this is a shocking and heartless case, audiences will find themselves drifting because the information provided is nothing new. I wondered what the point was of watching this because this is a fairly new incident that was covered extensively by every media outlet at the time. Thus, most people would be familiar with everything that took place. Moreover, I was a little disappointed that the documentary itself doesn’t pose any questions contrary to what’s already been in the media, and there was no separate discussion on any other theory.
In a way, the documentary felt a bit one-sided, although I am not implying that Jolly Joseph isn’t a serial killer; she most definitely can be, but since it hasn’t been proved yet, it would’ve been interesting to see if anything else came out of the investigation. Disappointingly, there aren’t even many discussions surrounding the investigation, and we skim over these parts in lieu of listening to Renji and Rojo bringing forth their side of the story as they grapple to find answers.
Moreover, the way the defence lawyer popped up after every victim’s set was done is quite hilarious and confusing. It would’ve been more entertaining had they set that part up in any other way.
This salacious documentary’s breakneck speed is entertaining in a way – it provides a quick escape from reality into the murky depths of a Kerala home where you will come across some shocking situations but nothing more. There’s something positively missing from this show, and it becomes blatantly clear after a while that the docufilm isn’t interested in answering any burning questions that you might have or it might have brought up in the course of its runtime.
We don’t get to know much about Jolly Joseph other than the fact that she was good-natured and lied about her qualifications, her motivations, about her accomplices, or if it’s possible that there’s something more at play at the general audience is not getting the full gist of.
Curry and Cyanide – The Jolly Joseph Case Review: Final Thoughts
As I realised while watching Bad Surgeon, even “legit” documentaries have their flaws and biases. I guess you should watch the news if you need to know more in-depth details about this shocking and confusing case. At the end of 95 minutes, this one doesn’t have many answers and leaves you hanging in a very annoying way.
The series is streaming on Netflix.
Also Read: Hey Kameeni Review: Messy, Preachy and Fails to Be Mysterious