Marlina - Die Mörderin in vier Akten

A indonesian rape/revenge movie in four parts. The males are mindless thugs, and early on you realize marlina is not a push over. The movie is pretty slow moving but as its set in rural indonesia, it reflects the isolation of how it is in those island areas. The policemen scene, pretty much sums up how you deal with indonesian bureauracy in real life. The cinematography is majestic and with accompanying music remind me of 70s spaghetti westerns, in some scenes even felt there were hints of tarantino. Overall, slow paced watchable movie.

When the Western genre comes out of Indonesia, attention to its similarities becomes a critic's part-time job. Critic Maggie Lee calls Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts a "Satay Western" the way other critics would call a Clint Eastwood western an "oater."

But Leone and Morricone are there with lens and music, landscapes hot and desolate and music just as forlorn. Marlina (Marsha Timothy) alone out there, widowed, and visited by bad guys who want not her money and livestock but also her body.

From that harrowing episode comes a vengeance story different from the usual Western tropes in so many ways. Mostly it is a Western with a female as lead and as tough with a machete as Eastwood with a gun, and just as vengeful.

Marlina together with another feisty female, Novi (Dea Panendra), who is pregnant, places the patriarchal men in vulnerable territory. In fact the customs of Indonesia, Malaysia, and elsewhere are so vigorously male-centered as to make any cultural Westerner cringe. However, that seems to be director Mouly Surya's goal.

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts will remind you of Tarantino's Kill Bill but without some of his patented irony. In both cases, a violent feminism seems just right given the offenses women have suffered over the centuries.

As in the great spaghetti Westerns, the theme music is haunting and the landscape forbidding. But most of all, the characters are strong and righteous, just the way #MeToo should like it.

This movie will serve you an "adventure" of a local widow in her struggle of survival and her attempt to have justice for her. The settings of the story is in Sumba which is shown as vast land of withered meadow where people are strongly bound to unique/unusual norms and cultures.

As an Indonesian myself I am surprised by the environment in the movie. They are really unusual and look really harsh yet they are still relatable in the daily life. I feel that I may had met people who have same characters and witnessed various situations like in the movie.

Frontier home, arid landscape, livestock and a recently widowed woman, Marlina, left alone to face a group of bandits at her door. It is not the Wild West of the past, but the Wild East of the present. The bandits tell Marlina that they are doing her a favor by taking advantage of her. "You are lucky," they tell her "if men still find a use for you." Therein begins the robbery, journey, confession and birth. If Marlina can stay calm and keep her wits about her, there is life at the end of the tunnel.

The cultural tapestry of eastern Indonesia, resiliency and determination of local women, ugliness of traditional male privilege and mystery of life, are revealed in this humorous, witty, bold and unique film. While some of the supporting cast are a little shaky with their acting, a few scenes are far-fetched and disjointed, and the dialogue could use added depth, the film is a compelling cocktail of intriguing and unusual characters, pretty scenery and uncommon circumstances. There are occasional scenes of violence and intense action, yet generally the film is easy going and delightfully slow-moving. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Four acts may sound like a lot and for some people the movie may feel very slow. It is indeed slow, so just don't expect any big bangs or a story that will have a Hollywood flair to it. Having said that and mixing into it that there is a certain degree of predictability. Still there is shocking moments and this may not be for the faint of hearted.

It's not like it is very explicit in its violence depiction, but you'll get the idea (no pun intended). Some may have issues with the movie being "feminist". I do not feel there being a negative energy with a strong female lead. Also there is still a lot of bad male characters. Which generally is something I don't like - one sided portrayl, but it does work for this movie. I don't agree with everything in here, but this is more than decent