Anomie revolves around Zaara Philip (Bhavan), a forensic expert who starts looking into a series of deaths that have occurred in the locality after her brother goes missing.
anomie (Malayalam)
Directed by Riyas Marath
Cast: Bhavana, Rahman, Arjun Lal, Shebin Benson, Vishnu Agasthya
Plot: When a forensic expert delves deep into the mystery of her missing brother, she uncovers patterns related to recent incidents in the locale.
Duration: 152 minutes
Genre cinema often comes with its expected elements that, if not supported by exceptional writing skills, give the audience that sinking feeling that they are going through the motions. Written and directed by Riyas Marath, Anomie has several phases that convey a ‘been there, done that’ feel, but as with many thrillers of late, the writer goes to great lengths to ensure that the mystery of the serial murder goes beyond our wildest guesses. Only this far-fetched idea had to sound a little more convincing to make it work.
Anomie revolves around Zaara Philip (Bhavana), a forensic expert who starts looking into a series of deaths that have occurred in the locality after her brother Ziyan (Shebin Benson) goes missing. She uncovers patterns that Ghibran (Rahman), a police officer assigned to her brother’s missing case, had missed. Searching from both ends leads to something sinister beyond their imagination.
In the first half, the film looks and feels derivative, whether with the much overused side story of the emotionally charged policeman or the colorful grading or the dialogue that is only meant to be functional and expository. Many dialogues are repeated, sometimes several minutes apart, perhaps so that the audience does not lose track. For long stretches, the script meanders without busy turns. As a result, the film is not engaging, except for the final parts of the investigation.
Half novelty
Since Anomie is billed as a sci-fi thriller, the rather run-of-the-mill story makes one ponder this branding until the end of the film, when the film reveals its true game. Although the hunt for a serial killer has its moments, it is only when the film reaches its climax that there is a hint of novelty. But this novelistic turn in the narrative is rather half-baked and therefore doesn’t become the kind of payoff it was intended to be.
Handling with ease
Appearing in a Malayalam film three years apart, Bhavana handles a character who has to go through emotional upheavals with ease. But in the final parts of the investigation, her character is out of action for a long time. The other characters aren’t very fleshed out and are mostly there just to serve the story, with the cop’s backstory coming across as a bit of a rush job to give some context to his general attitude.
With too many derivative elements, Anomie falls short of its ambitions of being an engaging sci-fi thriller.
Published – 06 Feb 2026 20:17 IST
