Eko - Beware of dog owners

Eko is a thriller film. Except for Vineeth and Narain, none of the actors are familiar faces. That said, many Malayalam supporting actors have done their job well. Honestly, instead of calling this film Eko, it would be more appropriate to call it “Beware of Dogs.” Let’s see how the film is.

According to the story, many people are searching for a man named Kuriyachan. Why? To take revenge, to beat him to death, to be precise. He has used countless people for his own selfish gains, and all those who were affected by him are now hunting him down, determined to eliminate him.

One of them is Vineeth. When he appears, it genuinely feels like something big is about to happen in the story. But that expectation is mostly because of our preconceived notions about the casting. Soon after, he disappears as well. Ironically, despite having worked alongside Kuriyachan in Malaysia during wartime, running a dog business, Vineeth turns out to be nothing more than a dummy in this story. In fact, the one who truly understands dogs here is Kuriyachan himself. Vineeth is just a placeholder.

Next comes Narain. He arrives with flair, doing a lot of dramatic things, but in the end, he too turns out to be a dummy. Not as useless as Vineeth, perhaps, he shows some swagger before quietly exiting the story. Both of them interrogate Milathi intensely about Kuriyachan.

Milathi is Kuriyachan’s Malaysian wife. There’s talk that he has many wives, one in each place, but in this film, everything is mostly just talk. Talk, talk, and more talk, endless conversations. Surprisingly, it’s this very talking that keeps the story moving. At one point, I genuinely felt, “Is the movie already about to end?”

Most of Kuriyachan’s past actions are conveyed to us only through dialogue. This technique is something Malayalam cinema frequently relies on, staying within budget while still managing to terrify the audience using just words.

Now, about Milathi. Initially referred to simply as “the Malaysian woman,” the name gradually morphs into Milathi. Interestingly, no one really knows her real name, at least within the film. In fact, two things remain unknown to most characters are Milathi’s real name and Kuriyachan’s whereabouts

The first one is eventually revealed, but it’s not a big deal. The second, Kuriyachan’s location, is what drives the entire story forward. Even when the film ends, it leaves behind a lingering sense of mystery.

The film’s cinematography and background atmosphere are incredibly natural and effective. That alone is one of the film’s biggest strengths.

Another major highlight is the actress who plays Milathi. She is completely new to Indian cinema, a Malaysian model Zhi feii. Watching her portray both a younger Milathi and an older, hardened version (resembling an Indian Suganya-type character) is genuinely commendable. Because of this, and also because of the many Malay dialogues in the film, I strongly recommend watching Eko with subtitles.

Another important character is Beau, the nurse-cum-house-help who takes care of Milathi. This actor actually has the most screen time in the film. After him, the characters with the most screen presence are the dogs around Milathi’s house. That itself tells you what kind of story this is, you’ll understand once you watch it.

The geographical setup of the film reminded me a lot of The Vanishing. The director did not intend to scare us by turning the house into a typical haunted mansion. He could have easily done that, but he didn’t. Instead, he designed a normal-looking house, let a few characters move around in it, and by the end of the film, that same house feels strangely beautiful. That deserves appreciation.
Starting with “Beware of Dogs” and ending with “Beware of Dog Owners,” the film closes on a realistic note. Because that’s the truth. Worse than dogs are the people who raise them. I’m allergic to dogs, and equally allergic to the people who raise them.

Finally, the film delivers a powerful closing punch with a line that

“Sometimes, restriction and protection look exactly the same.”

The entire story revolves around this single idea, and it’s executed brilliantly.

Brilliant story. Brilliant film.