Trip 2021

A group of friends and family, including Lidi and Vikram, set out on a journey into a dense forest that feels almost alive with sound and shade. The mood is light at first, full of chatter and shared memories, but the path soon grows quiet and claustrophobic as trees crowd close and the air grows cooler. It’s in this hush that they encounter two strangers, Azhagan and Amuthan, who introduce themselves as carpenters and painters brought to renew a house tucked away within the forest. Their presence is unassuming, their manner calm, yet the group can’t shake the uneasy feeling that something is off.

The first sign of trouble comes quickly: the two painters appear, smeared with a red-tinted substance that the group initially mistakes for blood. The scene unsettles everyone, and fear spirals into panic as the group mistakes the pair for serial killers. In the ensuing chaos, the atmosphere shifts from curiosity to mistrust, and a tense chase ensues that undercuts the lightness of the day. The pursuit ends with the group finding a spot to camp by a river for the night, the sound of running water offering a small, cooling contrast to their growing paranoia.

During a quiet moment of conversation by the camp, Lidi goes off to explore the forest alone. The journey is fraught with the feeling that something dangerous might be watching, yet the road remains only as threatening as the imagination allows. After some distance, she encounters the two painters once more and, realizing she is in danger of becoming separated from the others, she runs with them. The moment is interrupted when she trips and falls, losing consciousness. The painters arrive just in time, lift her carefully, and carry her back toward safety. A nearby girl from the group witnesses this rescue and misreads the scene, believing they are abducting Lidi. She races back to the campsite, shouting warnings that fuel the group’s fear and suspicion.

When the group searches for Lidi the next day, they discover the painters’ jeep pulling away with her inside. The revelation forces the group to confront their own fears and the possibility that they misjudged the painters. Lidi awakens the next morning in the jeep, astonished and frightened to see the painters there. She reacts with fear again, yet the painters reassure her and explain who they truly are, earning her trust. Relieved, she chooses to go with them, leaving the camp behind as they head toward the house where Lidi had been staying. The group follows, driven by a mix of concern and confusion, trying to piece together what is happening.

As they reach the house, the group’s fears spiral again. They had worried that Lidi had joined the killers, and now they fear the painters’ possible involvement in the events they’ve witnessed. In rapid succession, two of the group’s men disappear: one runs away and is said to have been eaten by someone, while the other is struck by an axe. The survivors tense up, springs of panic snapping into place as they wonder whether the painters are responsible. Yet the narrative makes clear that the painters are not the killers, and the fear begins to feel misguided and dangerous.

That night, Vikram, accompanied by one of the other young women, slips inside the house while the painters are away, attempting to help Lidi. On the other side, the painters encounter trouble of their own: a different girl is found lying on the ground after an accidental collision with their jeep, and they bring her along as well. When the group gathers again at the house, Vikram confronts Lidi about the painters’ supposed role as killers, reigniting old fears and prompting a heated exchange.

As misunderstandings flare into action, the group and the painters find themselves drawn into a chaotic, funny, and surprisingly intense brawl. In the middle of the fray, a fire breaks out, its flames licking the walls and casting tall shadows that seem to blur the line between danger and comedy. The tension peaks as the flames spread, and in the confusion, an unknown man arrives, carrying real blood, and quickly ties the entire group together inside the house. The scene closes on a cliff, with the story continuing to unfold.