Over four decades and more, Adoor Gopalakrishnan has turned out eleven films of great artistic merit and integrity - all of which use the universal language of human emotions and human psychology to tell the tales of ordinary people tackling life's tribulations.Face-to-Face is a critical introduction to the aesthetics of Adoor's cinema, his development as a film-maker, and his engagement with the culture, customs and history of Kerala. It is also a primer to his films, interpreting each thematically and stylistically, throwing light upon his unique way of representing his thematic concerns. Parthajit Baruah's well-researched narrative is a welcome addition to the literature on one of India's greatest film-makers.