Pintu Terlarang

As another breakthrough in thriller genre that has just grown in Indonesian cinema, Pintu Terlarang (Forbidden Door) goes far beyond the genre's boundaries. Based on the novel by Sekar Ayu Asmara, this psychological mind-thriller has re-shaped with Joko Anwar's very own absurdity. Here, that stylish Indonesian director, Joko Anwar, who brought us Janji Joni and the mesmerizing adventure fantasy, Kala, has once again takes his audience to another world and mind-bending dimension with his absurd way of storytelling, vintage-noir art direction and scores that make you fly with it.

The famous pregnant woman sculptor, Gambir (Fachri Albar) starts losing his world after getting strange same messages from an abused little boy. With everyone around suddenly act strange, his paranoia then leads the shocking findings that may opens the door to his deepest fears.

Beautifully shots, acted and wrapped, Joko leaves his audience wonders, questioning and even arguing every clues he used just like opening the encrypted codes to a secret files. A gory-ness disturbing scenes that comes without compromise, a complex plot that even screw your minds, high-style art directing, intense acting that put the highest credits to Fachri Albar, haunting atmosphere all over the movie, brilliant scores, comes along together as one must-see Indonesian movie of the decades. Just like one movie that could rolls puzzling through your minds, Pintu Terlarang/Forbidden Door is truly, beautifully disturbing and violently haunting. It's a one hell-ride of your life!

While the climactic twist delivers its intended impact, I find that the film, in its entirety, lacks the depth I desired, ended up providing me a rather bland experience, that is too vanilla for my taste.

And this sentiment specifically stems from its conflicting writing choices. Themes explored are undoubtedly serious and carry significant weight, yet the film's somewhat incongruous lightheartedness diminishes the potency of its thematic substances.

Not only that, the element of shock & surprise is less, and the emotional connection seemed nearly absent.

I feel, a more darker, melancholic approach would have been beneficial for the narrative.

Pintu Terlarang (a.k.a The Forbidden Door) is really, really great and will definitely making you stay in your chair when you watched this greatest movie ever.

Gambir is an artist. He got a beautiful wife, Talyda. Someday, Gambir got some weird message.

Gambir try to find who send that message. And he tell that message to his friends, Dandung and Rio, and they cannot help Gambir.

Gambir still trying hard to find who send that message, when someday he found some strange door in his home. He asked to his wife, Talyda, about that door. Talyda told him to never opened that door.

Gambir finally got an bright way to solved his problem about weird message. There's some secret organization who broadcast some strange video about the kid who tortured by his parents. Gambir trying hard to help this kid, and take him to sadness truth, madness, Talyda's secrets and definitely, that forbidden door.

Once again, Joko Anwar will give you another guilty pleasure when you watch this. Just like Dead Time : Kala (2007), Joko Anwar make this movie so heartbreaking which is making you keep staying in your chair.

The point is, this movie will make you forget the world, and after saw this movie, I promise, that your brain will full with your own idea about the ending, because, baby, the ending is so cool. You can put some point of view about the ending.

Fachri Albar give a bad-ass performance. He is really great. And, Marsha Timothy can act well too. She can act as a wife who is really mysterious with really great.

The art direction is totally awesome. And the music score is really, really make you wanna jumped out from your chair.

Just watch this movie, watch the Christmas dinner scene and you will forget anything! Trust me.

I have just recently had the opportunity to watch this movie even though I have noticed the surround positive reviews of the movie for some time. And after watching it just yesterday, it would be fair to say that this picture by far is the best modern picture made by Indonesian filmmaker.

It is a bold, horrifying, intense and mean noir psychological horror. The horrid surreal atmosphere and chilling gore very much remind me of Lynch's and Aronofsky's style which is outstanding. Watching this movie really gives you a more complex horrid feeling than any kind of Indonesian horror with excessive portion of demon and ghost appearance more than you beg for of which you can't help but to smirk. And fairly said, this movie has put back faith in me that indeed Indonesian filmmaker can so do much better than only of those sex exploit movies and series of ridicule horror.

Finally said, this movie is very recommended as an introductory to a fine piece of Indonesian modern cinema. And despite the plot may not be very original at all and at some point the gory scene may need a little extra stomach to bear, but to skip this modern horror experience would be a sin to every horror/thriller movie lover.

Pintu Terlarang (aka the Forbidden Door) is a brilliant film, plain and simple. Joko Anwar, the director, did a fabulous job constructing the imagery of the psychological thriller with magnificent scoring, impressive casts and smart plot line. Though the film, itself came from the best-selling novel by Sekar Ayu, I found that it only took major plot from the novel. To be honest, I did not know about the ending until it was revealed. Quite a shock! Both Fachri Albar and Marsha Timothy gives one of the best performances of their career, the powerful performances with complex emotions. Some scene are quite disturbing but it helps the film to build intense in beautiful cinematography, the Joko Anwar's style. You may go and see this film again to realize why the end is such a surprise, or so many twists that you want to get them clearly…or you could rush out to watch it again purely because it's an almost perfect example of it's genre, as I did it three times. Brilliant.