Aahana Swrup
‘Merry Christmas,’ the Hindi/Tamil drama thriller film, begins with the picturesque story of Maria and Albert’s meet-cute, paving the way for a whirlwind night of wonder and connection between the pair. However, as Christmas Eve nears midnight, a sharp turn of events occurs, plummeting the story into a criminal arc that revolves around the perplexing murder mystery of Maria’s husband, Jerome, and the former’s peculiar connection to it. Consequently, with the murder’s discovery, Albert reveals the truth behind his own taut romantic past. Thus, with the confession of his involvement in Rosie, his previous lover’s murder, Albert’s character becomes a source of intrigue for the viewers. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Albert and Rosie’s Wicked Affair
Initially, Rosie’s character finds her introduction into the story through Albert’s backstory after the latter reveals his previous disastrous relationship. Albert and Rosie’s relationship came with its challenges— mostly due to the fact that Rosie was already married to another man. Worse yet, her husband was actually Albert’s boss. For the same reason, their romance was forbidden even if its illicitness failed to stop either individual from acting on their desires.
As a result, Albert and Rosie ran away from their lives in Mumbai and moved to Margao, Goa. Although the couple managed to steal two months of bliss for themselves, the past caught up to them in the form of divorce papers for Rosie. Somehow, her husband had discovered her infidelity and her current whereabouts, having simply decided to break ties with her rather than other forms of confrontation.
Yet, Rosie could not accept the same. Albert often attempted to bring up marriage throughout their relationship, but his partner ignored the topic categorically. As such, she had the same answer for him when he attempted to propose to her after the divorce papers arrived. Even though Albert planned an understated proposal— sneaking the ring in Rosie’s favorite Dosa dry chutney— the woman turned his proposal down.
In fact, Rosie’s reasoning included the fact that she was leaving Goa and returning to her husband. Rosie loved Albert but refused to dissolve her first marriage to be with him. Nevertheless, the narrative— or, more aptly, the narrator, Albert— never discloses the reason behind the woman’s actions. Was she scared of society’s backlash as a divorcee? Was she unprepared to lose her husband’s financial support? Or was there a deeper, more convoluted reason?
Whatever Rosie’s reasoning, she maintained her refusal to marry Albert. Consequently, her partner grew violent, as if a switch flipped inside him, and delivered the woman to her death. Albert never shares the details of Rosie’s death— as if a mania really did overtake him. Yet, it’s difficult to call outright malice upon the man, considering he confesses to the crime immediately afterward and accepts his seven-year imprisonment without hesitation.
Nonetheless, Albert never forgets his guilty connection to Rosie. In fact, he spends seven years of his life in prison, needling himself for an explanation about why he killed the woman he claimed to love. Still, some instances in life remain hard to explain. Even so, the affection Albert once held for Rosie still shines through— most prominently in the engagement ring he continues to carry with him.
Furthermore, perhaps in some way, Rosie’s memory compels him to help out Maria and her young daughter. In one instance, Albert mentions that Maria reminds him of Rosie even though she looks nothing like his former lover. The fact that Maria’s dress— with white and blush-pink floral patterns— resembles Rosie’s shirt from the day Albert killed her is most likely one of the reasons.
As such, even seven years after Albert killed Rosie in a fit of rage— fueled by feelings of neglect at Rosie’s proclamation of love but refusal to commit— the man continues to carry the guilt and affection surrounding the woman in his heart. Perhaps for the same reason, he agrees to carry the burden of Maria’s crimes for her once the truth about her own partner’s death unravels.
Read More: Best Murder Mystery Movies on HBO Max
