Kabut Berduri

The challenge of Edwin making bad films is simply impossible. I approached Kabut Berduri with zero expectations after reading the synopsis, and I was blown away by how well it was executed. This film is likely exactly what crime genre enthusiasts have been craving and serves as evidence that Indonesian cinema can offer more variety beyond the supernatural horror we've seen so often.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Edwin, who has directed across genres such as romance, comedy, and action, has successfully crafted a gripping and suspenseful crime film. The mystery element stands out, with the film keeping viewers engaged as they piece together the puzzle and speculate on the true mastermind or killer. The plot is fresh, intriguing, and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

What makes the film even more compelling is its incorporation of social commentary on corrupt police and their unjust actions towards society. The film explores themes of guilt and trauma within a flawed system, adding a layer of conflict that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. The ensemble cast is excellent, with Putri Marino delivering yet another outstanding performance. The film's atmosphere is unsettling, dark, and relentless. I hope we see more films like this in the future.

Borderless fog gets a six from me, netflixs new thrirller which is set along the malysian indonesian border. I thought this film had a pretty good story but thats not to say it felt overlly muddled. Sanja is a detective. But like a lot she is dealing with things from her past and those things will come back to haunt her as she investigates a serial killer case. A series of grusome discoveries that start after a mans body is found decaptiated. But as the head is in a different country she is forced to work with another man who dosnt gel well to start with but they get there. The actual detecitve part of it just made the film go on to long and it felt like nothing actually got finished. Overall good watch but nothing to great.

I am very much for strong, professional female characters in movies. I feel we don't get enough of them in feature films (series might be different though). And this is especially true in Asian cinema where women are either strongly sexualized and/or are a shallow bloodthirsty revenge tool or a sidekick or mysterious love interest.

So this movie delivers in that regard, I really liked the actress and her character, her style, pretty much everything. The plot was ok for the most part, quite complex, I was having trouble following the opposing sides in the beginning, but the reveal was a little lacking. The build-up was ok, but I guess I was expecting a little bit more, and it ended somewhat illogically with the last head. Also I suspected the killer early on, there was something fishy about that guy lol... But I won't fault it too much for that, I just won't rate it as highly but I think it's better than most Asian movies on Netflix.

Also, I just realized she played the lead in Possessive. Which I also recommend. That was decent too. Good role also.

This Indonesian killer thriller is so disjointed it's almost incoherent. In fact the only thing that keeps this movie from being completely incomprehensible is that it adheres so closely to genre tropes that you can fill in most of the blanks with inferences from standard Scandi-Noir. A plucky lady cop with a dark secret gets assigned to track a rural serial killer with a local motive in the steaming jungles of ... whoah! Is that a Predator?!? Get to da choppa! Wait, sorry, false alarm. So anyway there's some expected procedural stuff, red herrings, and character revelations; and then in the final act the script goes way off formula, leading to a confused and confusing finale. Don't waste your time.

"I don't understand why this film received such a poor rating. This is the first film that I find very realistic. It portrays the actual conditions of the Indonesia-Malaysia border region, where the culture and social dynamics are the same but the countries are different, depicted very well.

This is the work of the genius anthropologist Dave Lumenta, which describes the conditions at the end of the New Order era in Indonesia. Perhaps viewers or outsiders' expectations might not grasp this and assume it is merely fantasy."

"I have never seen an Indonesian film that is truly bold in presenting a very sensitive story, such as the Dayak tribal customs, communism, and mysticism, all within a single narrative."