Eko Movie Review:

Director Dinjith Ayyathan and his frequent collaborator, screenwriter Bahul Ramesh, have an approach to mystery thrillers that involves sharing information layer by layer. The audience discovers just the same amount of information as the characters themselves do. They usually hold back the aces before pulling the trigger in the final act, thus dishing out a satisfying mystery in the process. It is an approach that worked wonders for Kishkindha Kaandam (2024) and yielded reasonable results in Kerala Crime Files Season 2 (2025). However, in their latest film, Eko, it completely backfired on them as what started as an intriguing mystery just fizzled out by the end. 

Director: Dinjith Ayyathan

Cast: Sandeep Pradeep, Narain, Saurabh Sachdeva, Biana Momin, Binu Pappu

The story is set in a hill station, where a group of characters are all searching for a mysterious man named Kuriachan (a well-cast and in-form Saurabh Sachdeva). This group includes two middle-aged adults, some naxalites, and another character, about whom you would rather discover more onscreen than from this review. Dinjith and Bahul establish very early on that Kuriachan is a man who might not be a pure soul and that people are looking for him because of his potentially unruly past. Even his wife knows very little about where he is and what he is doing. These early moments successfully establish a high-stakes chase for a man whose very nature and whereabouts remain elusive. 

To give credit where it is due, Eko has an intriguing premise with elements that explore the loyalty between dogs and their masters. The core thematic exploration of loyalty, continuing Bahul's so-called Animal Trilogy, is set up delightfully early on with the dogs. In one memorable stretch, a group of dogs surrounds a character, hunting in packs and using growls and stares to steer the stranger away from approaching their master. This sets up the film’s central query: At what point does protection transition into restriction and eventual destruction?

The problem with the film lies not in the story but rather in the very mechanics of its telling. While it fascinates you for a while, the longer it runs, the harder it becomes to stay invested in the mysterious plot. This is because the makers digress too much from the central issue. Why is everyone going after Kuriachan? We know enough to piece together an answer eventually, but not enough to discover it organically and satisfyingly as part of the journey that the film takes us through. Likewise, why is it important to show us just how the Naxals execute their plans to get to Kuriachan when we know very little about their relationship with him? A character’s visit to his ageing mother's house to discuss a property issue has little significance with the larger plot, just like the pointless build-up the makers give for a particular dog at the start of the film. Further, what is the relationship between the missing man and his spouse like? We know, but do we know well enough? These are issues that stem from the creators’ indulgence in their storytelling style, something which we often classify as slow burn. They give us the impression of a story that meanders as much as the forest with its hidden trails and detours.

As a result, most of the performances appear orchestrated for a cinematic effect rather than natural human behaviour onscreen. You do not see the main characters vent out in anger or express their feelings otherwise here. While some of them manage to land an emotional moment, including a crucial character, the main ones remain too enigmatic and elusive for the audience to connect with. 

Kishkindha Kaandam excelled because of its strong emotional core, especially in the father-son portions. The sum of these stretches is what gave the 2024 film its big, beating heart. Everything else in that film, including the nuanced relationship with the monkeys in the reserve forest, only added flavour to the emotionally rich story. Eko does have nuance, which is especially evident in one excellent stretch that substantiates the reference to a character as ‘a loyal dog’. However, the same emotional core is desperately missing in Eko. 

While restraint is good, too much of it makes a story rudderless. When it comes to Eko, the film misses the very elements that ensure every mystery appeals to the heart just as much as it does to the mind.