Akale (2004)

Human fragility inspired by "Glass Menagerie"; an Anglo-Indian family in northern Kerala. Neil, a middle-aged writer, struggles with the story of his life, which he has promised to give to a publisher. As he starts writing, we are transported to his past, occupied by his cranky mother Margaret and sister Rose. Neil is a frustrated youngster, working as a clerk in a warehouse, but aspiring to be a writer. His only escape from mundane existence is cinema. Margaret is a demanding and possessive mother, who has her traumatic past to deal with: her sailor husband abandoned her when the children were still young. Rose is a shy and withdrawn girl, suffering from an inferiority complex because of a slight deformity in her leg. She is fascinated by glass figurines. Margaret is worried about Neil's weird ways and Rose's future. She and Neil are always at loggerheads. Things take a turn when Neil brings home a young colleague, Freddy Evans, for dinner at the insistence of his mother. The dreams of the mother and daughter are shattered when it is revealed that Freddy is already engaged, which ultimately leads to Rose's death. One of the several moments of quiet drama is when Rose's favorite crystal unicorn is accidentally broken by Freddy while they are dancing. Rose says it has become like the other horses in her collection, so now it can live like them in their company - a poignant comment on her own condition.