Eko (Malayalam)

Another one from director Dinjith Ayyathan (he of Kishkindha Kaandam fame). Currently on Netflix.

Like that movie, this is a slow cooked thriller. It will demand the viewer's patience. But if you give it your time, it will result in a pretty good experience by the end of it.

The story starts with a man called Mohan Pothan (Vineeth) arriving in a very remote area of Kerala (near the Kerala - Karnataka border). He is looking for his friend Kuriachan (Saurabh Sachdeva), who hasn't been seen in years. Kuriachan is almost a myth now, with stories galore of his exploits, and legendary ways of getting out of tough situations. 

Kuriachan's house is on top of a hill. That house is guarded by some dogs who can turn ferocious in an instant. That was Kuriachan's speciality - dog trainer. He has brought back a special breed from Malaysia, that is in high demand. Those are the dogs on the top of the hill.

Mohan Pothan has brought with him a female dog in heat. That is presumably how he plans to get past those dogs.

Kuriachan has a wife. She is called Mlaathi Chedathi (played by Biana Momin). She was young when Kuriachan brought her from Malaysia to India. 

Now old, she lives in isolation on this hill with her young caretaker, Peeyoos (Sandeep Pradeep). The cottage is guarded by dogs. She is taking care of them in Kuriachan's absence.

Even though Mlaathi lives a pretty uneventful life, there is always the shadow of Kuriachan lurking around in a very unsettling fashion.

It's not just Mohan Pothan who is looking for Kuriachan. There's all sorts of characters - old friends, rivals, law enforcement, and others with their own motives. They are all various degrees of shady - who want him. Even the police are on the lookout. But Kuriachan never appears, so they don't make any progress.

One of those looking for him is a guy from Mangalore who supposedly was in the navy (actor: Narain). He offers Peeyoos a hefty reward for any information on Kuriachan.

The story lurches in a non-linear fashion. We learn that Kuriachan rescued Mlaathi (actual Malaysian name: Soyi) from her husband's dogs after he died in a Japanese attack during WWII. The dogs were being used by her husband to not let her escape from their house. Kuriachan kills all the adult dogs, and brings their pups with him and Mlaathi to India.

These dogs play a symbolic and narrative role. They dissolve the line between human instinct and raw, primal behavior, functioning almost like a silent chorus that echoes the film’s themes of loyalty, dominance, and fear.

In the middle of all this, Peeyoos shows another side to his character. Two undercover cops who are also hunting Kuriachan are outwitted and killed by him. That cements the fact that he is extremely loyal to Kuriachan.

Oh and BTW, Mohan Pothan and his dog - both are found dead.

But the whereabout of Kuriachan are still a mystery. Without giving spoilers: the guy from Mangalore (navy man) manages to piece things together. At the same time, Peeyoos makes a tremendous discovery as well. 

The end of this movie is such a sudden twist that it almost comes out of nowhere, even though the clues have been given to us all along.

Power and control. True in the past, true even now.

Definitely worth a watch.