Sumala

Sumala may not bring a completely new or groundbreaking concept to the table, but it's still a very engaging watch. From the start, it knows exactly how to pull the audience in and keep the tension steady throughout. Lately, there's been a wave of Indonesian horror movies diving into the origins of different ghosts and spirits, and while that trend is getting a bit crowded, Sumala manages to stand out. It doesn't feel repetitive or dull like some others. The storytelling is tight, the atmosphere is creepy in the best way, and the emotional side of the story gives it more depth. It's clear that the filmmakers cared about the details, and that makes a big difference.

Sumala is a drama that explores the tragic life of Kumala, a young woman who faces relentless hardship. The film effectively portrays her suffering, from being constantly bullied for her body to enduring abuse from her own parents. Her life is a downward spiral of pain, making her story deeply emotional and heartbreaking. The cinematography captures her despair well, and the performances feel raw and authentic. While the film is heavy and difficult to watch, it successfully conveys the harsh realities of Kumala's ruined life, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.

Overall, I would suggest that the movie is not that good.

The movie introduces us to a group of kids playing with a ball in a small village. After the ball is kicked into a field, one of the boys runs after it, and his friend soon follows. He finds the boy being repeatedly hit on the head with a stone by some kind of entity. Chaos erupts in the village when the father of the murdered boy assumes the friend is responsible until a man arrives and begins to tell the origin story of the local legend of Sumala.

From that point on, we travel back in time and learn about a woman named Sulastri, who made a pact with the devil so she could have children. She later gives birth to female twins, but one of the children is killed by her husband because it was deformed. The surviving child grows up with physical and mental disabilities. On her 8th birthday, her deceased twin's vengeful spirit possesses her to seek revenge on those who harmed her.

What follows is carnage, plenty of gore, and numerous jump scares. The movie is much more brutal than I anticipated, and I really enjoyed that aspect. Some of the effects looked great, but the occasional poor CGI gave the film a cheap appearance. The story itself is familiar, another tale of a vengeful spirit possessing a body to exact revenge-and it didn't bring much originality to the table.

The acting was mostly fine, though a few weak performances affected the immersion and reduced the tension in certain scenes. The entity itself was terrifying, with a deformed body, sharp teeth, and pale skin.

Overall, while the narrative could have been more unique or developed in a deeper way, some great gore scenes made up for it. It's a fairly decent watch that offers an entertaining two hours, but ultimately, it's not especially memorable. [5.6/10]

Just caught this in the bioskop near me... BTC cinema in pasteur. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the film. I thoroughly enjoyed it very very much. Having been disappointed by recent movies like Siksa Kubur and Susanna, Sumala executive produced by Luna Maya was a breath of fresh air. I saw the trailer before hand and I didn't really want to go watch it. But my wife dragged me and I reluctantly comply. Boy was I entertained. Full marks for all acting and Maykala the little girl stole the thunder. Solid performance all around 👏.

While I would have preferred to see more of Satan, she was the devil's child by the way, I suspect some scenes was not included to keep the running time short. I am a fan of slasher gore films like Friday 13th and Elm Street and this movie lived up to my expectations.

So kudos to the director 👏 and producers I really enjoyed this one.

One final note, this film just lack cinematic artistic shot... such as drone establishing scenes, close ups of feets and faces. And too much music where silence is much preferred.

MORE please what is next??

This movie is a horror film inspired by a real urban legend from a village in Semarang, Indonesia. The story of Sumala has been widely discussed in local podcasts, and the village is known for its strict rule prohibiting people from going outside after Maghrib. According to witnesses, a boy was killed by Sumala while retrieving a lost ball, and his body was later found in a river. These chilling accounts have contributed to the legend's eerie reputation.

However, the film takes a different approach. Instead of focusing on the firsthand ghostly encounters reported by multiple visitors to the village, it chooses to dive into the backstory of Sumala, a narrative that may or may not be true. This decision weakens the horror aspect, as the film leans more into action-gore territory, resembling movies like *Chucky* and *Saw*, rather than delivering the eerie suspense expected from a ghost story.

One of the biggest letdowns is the acting. Darius Sinathrya, who plays the father, gives an unconvincing very poor performance, while Luna Maya, playing the mother, delivers a passable but uninspired role. The supporting cast is a mixed bag, some performances are solid, but others fall flat. Despite its tense atmosphere, the weak acting and misplaced focus on gore over mystery make the film less compelling than it could have been.

Overall, Sumala had the potential to be a gripping horror film, especially with the terrifying real-life accounts behind it. But instead of exploring the unsettling experiences of those who have visited the village of Sumala, it prioritizes an exaggerated origin story, making it feel more like an action-gore thriller than a true horror mystery.