Jalan Pulang

Jalan Pulang tells the story of a mother's struggle to cure her child from an illness that brings her closer to 'death' every time her birthday comes. Personally, I'm really intrigued by how Jalan Pulang explores various traditional rituals from different regions to fight off the terror of the ghost, Marsinah. Four different rituals crazy. The 3 Raru Horror label feels totally justified. Luna Maya delivers a solid performance as Lastini, and so does Taskya Namya. Meanwhile, Shareefa Daanish successfully comes off as truly creepy. The jump scares aren't excessive, but they're intense. What hits the hardest, though, is the mother's feeling of desperation it makes the horror feel much more human.

Jalan Pulang Review by flexarts

Why is it GOOD?

1) Overall the acting is okay; Luna Maya and Shareefa Daanish are clearly the ones who shine the most here.

2) The frequent use of snorricam techniques to frame the actresses' expressions contributes significantly to the film's tension.

3) In my opinion, the scene where Arum and Rama play on the spinning bowl is the most terrifying moment in the entire film.

Why is it BAD?

1] Like most Indonesian horror films, this one also has a lot of cheap jumpscares that have no impact on the story or on me.

2] It fails to build strong family chemistry due to its messy pace; even Lia and Arum don't have any meaningful interaction at all.

3] Rama is given too much screen time, considering his acting is the weakest compared to the others; his character becomes somewhat annoying.

4] Since he only appears in the third act, Subagir becomes a one-dimensional character who ends up being completely useless. Somehow Subagir reTURNED...

5] Why did the credits appear so suddenly before the ending? I almost thought the film had forgotten about Lia and Rama, who were still locked up. They both did nothing btw.

In conclusion: As JeroPoint's directorial debut, Jalan Pulang is certainly full of flaws that will hopefully be fixed in future projects. 4.2/10 :\.

"'Jalan Pulang' is, in my opinion, an almost perfect film. The casting is on point; it's like bringing together three horror queens on one screen! 'Jalan Pulang' presents a mature horror atmosphere and doesn't rely solely on jump scares. The film prefers to build tension slowly, through ambient sounds, slow camera movements, and intense character expressions. This makes the tension feel more real and frightening. For casual viewers or mainstream horror fans, this slow pace might feel boring in the first half of the film. The emotional tension is driven more by atmosphere, not action. But overall, it's still worth enjoying 😻👍🏼

The plot of the film is easy to guess. Too many jumpskare. Not so interesting in my personal opinion who has watched many films of the same genre. The ending is also too annoying, especially in the main character, really boring. Luna maya as a mother actually looks very selfish and does not care about her other children. Many scenes look too forced to be done when they are not necessary. Many parts of the shooting are also not right, so it doesn't look natural. From the beginning to the end all I saw was crying and crying, instead of looking for a solution they were just making drama. In the future maybe it can be better.

I really like how this film addresses social issues without resorting to preaching. It's like... everything is conveyed subtly but effectively. There are subtle hints about inequality, family wounds, and class differences that make you think. The message of this film really resonates with the audience. It's a debut film, but it's already this good! I'll be eagerly awaiting the director's next work.

Unfortunately, the resolution feels a bit too easy. The serious conflict is resolved quickly, making it seem unrealistic. Still, this is a film that has more value than just entertainment. It makes you think and can be a source of reflection.