Dorothy

Set in the early 1990s, Dorothy follows Karthi and Subbu, two boys who grow up within an unforgiving landscape of rural Tamil Nadu. When a tragedy befalls Dorothy (Keerthy Suresh), a member of the household who always treated the childhood friends with gentleness, the story takes an unexpected turn, shifting from their mere survival into a harsh, scorched-earth reality shaped by rigid patriarchal hierarchies and everyday violence. 

The loss profoundly affects Subbu (Sananth), who finds an unlikely community among women living outside society’s expectations, and vanishes. Karthi (Rishikanth) is sent on a mission across rural India to hunt Subbu, the person who once saved him from schoolyard fights. Conflicted and caught between the bonds of friendship and filial demands, the two embark on a journey of friendship, love, and the profound courage it takes to live honestly.

Director Karthik Subbaraj leaps across genres with his striking visual style, inviting viewers along on this wild ride, combining elements of noir thrillers, gangster films, and romances. With references to the action sequences of Bruce Lee and the physical comedy of Howard Hawks, Subbaraj writes a love letter to cinema where tenderness finds a way to thrive in the most unexpected places. 

Dorothy offers not only an exhilarating and touching portrait of two individuals whose loyalty is tested by a legacy of violence but a celebration of friendship and a passionate critique of gender oppression.

ROBYN CITIZEN

Content advisory: transphobic slurs, homophobia, gender-based violence