Oliver Twist is a gently observant portrait of a 60-year-old father who, despite his limited grasp of modern technology, pours care into his home and garden. He shares a quiet life with his wife, Kuttiyamma, a retired nurse who keeps the house running, and their two sons, one of whom is a laid‑back, ambitious teen named Charles, while the other, Anthony, is a restless, aspiring scriptwriter who lives in a cluttered apartment away from the family. The family keeps a small aquarium with a fish named Mickey, a detail that quietly anchors Oliver to a world where small routines matter. The family photo—featuring Appachan, Oliver Twist, Kuttiyamma, and their two sons, including Anthony—reads as a cheerful memory, even as the film peels back the threads of its everyday calm.
On Anthony’s first day back home, the familiar chaos of family life clashes with his own distractions. He’s pulled between a chaotic stream of social media notifications and his struggle to think up a worthwhile story for his next script. A video call with Charles during a shopping trip for a new fish tank reveals a moment of awkward pride: Oliver openly boasts about his son in front of the shopkeeper, and the scene leaves both sons red-faced and quickly pulling Oliver out of the shop. The moment foreshadows a deeper tension: Anthony’s impatience with his father’s past simplicity, and Oliver’s longing to be seen and valued by a son who seems to overlook him.
As the rift widens, Anthony’s insecurities surface in sharp, cutting comparisons—especially when he chooses to measure his worth against Priya’s father, Joseph. The barbs he directs at Oliver cut deeply, and Oliver, blindsided by his elder son’s scorn, slips away in sadness, standing by the gate and fighting back tears. That night, Oliver awakens with a memory he has long kept hidden, a memory he wants to share with Anthony but cannot coax from his son.
The surface misalignment shifts toward a professional setback when Anthony seeks feedback from a superstar named Vishal. Vishal dismisses Anthony’s work as unrelatable, and the rejection ignites a fresh flare of anger that lands squarely on Oliver when Anthony lashes out. Oliver, in a bid to process his son’s anger, records a rant on Facebook that goes viral for all the wrong reasons, drawing harsh criticism and a flood of online hostility. The fallout unsettles him deeply, pushing him toward therapy and Tai chi, and forcing him to confront his own relationship with technology. The family meets the change with friction, as his attempts to grow are seen as a departure from the old family dynamic.
In time, Joseph’s counsel nudges a different course: Anthony decides to craft a handwritten apology to Vishal, with Oliver’s storytelling as a kind of guiding compass. It’s in this process that Oliver finally recounts a life‑changing memory. He and his best friend Suryan once faced a perilous journey to help a woman whose child faced a mysterious illness. They crossed a river teeming with wild elephants, transporting the woman and her child on a large cooking vessel, and then pressed on to a car owner’s house and toward a hospital. The road proved treacherous—the vehicle reversed toward a deadly cliff, and only a lucky stone wedged beneath the car kept it from falling. The child survived, and the doctors confirmed that he would be fine. Oliver’s tale—one of courage, solidarity, and quiet heroism—stands in stark contrast to Anthony’s online world, and its emotional resonance hits home.
Anthony’s harsh behavior toward Oliver in front of Priya and her family intensifies the family’s strain, and Kuttiyamma’s anger erupts, scolding both of her elder sons for using their parents’ lives as a stage for blame. On Joseph’s 50th birthday, his mother reveals the same cover‑photo story that Oliver had told Anthony, linking memory, history, and the family’s past in a way that deepens everyone’s understanding of what truly matters. This revelation prompts a pivotal realization for Anthony: the obsession with presenting a flawless image on social media was eroding the real connection he shares with his family. He comes to understand that he can be perfectly imperfect within the warmth of home and loved ones, without judgment.
The film closes on a note of quiet gratitude and reconciliation. The mother of Joseph, moved by what she has learned from Anthony, travels to Oliver’s home with thanks for the life‑saving truth that Oliver and Suryan helped keep alive. The final moments reaffirm the film’s gentle credo: healing begins not with public praise or online validation, but with honest, vulnerable moments shared within the safety of home and family.
