‘The Goat Life’ review: A protracted saga of suffering and survival

The Goat Life has an incredible story, ravishing visuals, handsome production values as well as a fiercely committed leading man. Blessy’s movie, dubbed into Hindi from the Malayalam-language Aadujeevitham and adapted from Malayalam writer Benyamin’s Goat Days, has everything going for it except the one factor that makes a survival drama tick: a compelling central character.

The movie runs in the opposite direction from tales of individuals magically soaring over insurmountable hurdles. There is no attempt to soft-pedal the impossible circumstances in which Najeeb (Prithviraj Sukumaran) finds himself. Najeeb’s flight is presented as the challenge it is.

But The Goat Life runs too far from the underdog hero template, and not smoothly enough. Najeeb’s test of endurance tests the patience too. The 173-minute saga of sorrow in the land of sand undermines its achievements by choosing to be protracted rather than pointed.

Benyamin’s best-selling novel is based on the real-life Najeeb Muhammed, who was tricked into slaving away on a livestock farm in the Saudi Arabian desert for over three years. In Blessy’s screenplay, Najeeb’s fortitude – the point at which the narrative worm turns, however slowly and painfully – isn’t always apparent.

Najeeb gets separated from his co-traveller Hakeem (KR Gokul) soon after arriving in an unnamed Gulf country. Treated in a beastly manner...

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