The Gone Game Review – A Taut, Well-Executed Crime Thriller

The Gone Game Review | The Gone Game Voot Web SeriesReview

BOTTOM LINE: A Taut, Well-Executed Crime Thriller

Rating: 6/10

Skin and Swear: No On-Screen Intimacy, Contains Strong Language

What Is the Story About?

The Gujrals are stuck in different parts of the world during the lockdown and don’t miss out on their family time with regular video calls. Sahil Gujral, who has just returned from a trip to Bangkok, has quarantined himself as a precautionary measure, confining to a room in his house where he stays along with his wife Suhani. Tension mounts in their household as Sahil, after showcasing multiple symptoms, is tested positive for the Coronavirus and is even pronounced dead few days into getting admitted in the hospital. Though the family members initially don’t suspect anything fishy about his death, Sahil’s sister Amara and father Rajeev feel there’s more to the incident than meets the eye. Is Sahil dead or alive? And who’s to blame for this masterful deceit?

Performances?

One needs an alert, aware, capable cast to film and enact such a show amid all the limitations and the actors give it their best shot. Shweta Tripathi Sharma has always made good efforts to slip into the skin of her characters. The Gone Game, offering her a role of an upright and inquisitive young woman, is a definite test to her emotive range and ability to display her traits through her body language and she expectedly passes muster. Sanjay Kapoor and Arjun Mathur are other actors who don’t put any foot wrong and are successful in showcasing the various shades and vulnerabilities of their parts with little fuss. Shriya Pilgaonkar, Indraneil Sengupta and Rukhsar Rehman submit to their characters with an assurance that’s hard to miss.

Analysis

The Gone Game is a terrific example of how creativity can flourish in the unlikeliest of times and physical limitations needn’t be viewed as a hindrance to quality storytelling. Shot completely amid the lockdown by the cast while being remotely directed and instructed by the show’s technical team, The Gone Game brings alive an intelligently weaved script that’s busy, engaging and effective. The show’s duration, a little less than two hours, fits the scope of the story and it doesn’t chew more than it can bite. The Gone Game is a successful experiment, probably the best of many shows shot amid lockdown regulations.

The show comes with a solid emotional hook; the tension within the story surrounding the death of a family member is built with many layers. The filmmaker Nikhil Nagesh Bhat keeps throwing hints about where the story is heading towards – it’s a refreshing prospect for the viewer to see the drama unfold over virtual conversations. One wishes a viewer got more time to invest in the characters though – the viewers are only offered glimpses of the lead parts. However, the situational screenplay never lets the momentum of the story dip.

It takes time to get used to the video call-driven narrative, but the incredibly well-coordinated responses of the characters, top-notch visuals and a gripping background score don’t leave much for you to complain about. This is probably why a film like Searching seems much ahead of the times now where the entire narrative is structured around a Skype call and can serve as a grammar for several films/shows that could be made during the pandemic. Even in The Gone Game, the pandemic backdrop is only used to mask a core idea of a solid crime thriller. Most importantly, the aesthetics of this show, be it visuals or the sound, don’t go for a ride.

The Gone Game is bound to win the interest of viewers for several factors including the performances, the technical appeal and the intricately woven plot that is never short of surprises. The foundation for a later season is well established and it would be interesting to see the flow of the narrative during the later months of the pandemic. This is an experiment executed with due care and is certainly worthy of your time.

Music and Other Departments?

The show’s unsung heroes belong to its technical crew for never letting the limitations come in the way of the quality of the execution. Ayan De’s superb work on the sound design brings immense authenticity to the setting and so does the effective background score of Aditya N and Nayantara Bhatkal that grows on the viewer and never exploits the tense vibe of the show to come up with anything flashy.

Manish Mistry, Rajesh Pandey and Amit Kumar make for a good editing trio and ensure that the soul of the story never goes astray. Piyush Puty’s cinematography and adeptness in getting the actors to make the most of their surroundings, contribute a lot to the impact of the show. Writers Radhika Anand, Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, Mautik Tolia and Ayesha Said package an interesting plot full of twists and turns balancing realism with workable cinematic liberties.

Highlights?

Performances of the cast

Terrific, aesthetic execution

Gripping plot

Drawbacks?

A convoluted finish

Needed better character establishment

Did I Enjoy It?

Yes

Will You Recommend It?

Yes

The Gone Game Review by Binged Bureau 

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