Perempuan tanah jahanam

I was supposed to be arriving in Bali, Indonesia yesterday, but thanks to Covid-19 that trip didn't go ahead. So I decided to do the next best thing and watch an Indonesian film. And I'm kind of glad I did. I'm not sure I've seen an Indonesian film before, and if this is my first taste then I'm okay with that. It wasn't a bad film by any stretch of the imagination.

I'm not exactly sure what the title 'Impetigore' means, but the word gore is in there and the film certainly had plenty of that. It falls back on that more often than not. It tries to scare you in a few places (not with a lot of success) but for the most part it would certainly rather gross you out. There was some pretty genuinely hard stuff to watch in the mix too I'd have to say. The stuff involving newborn babies was particularly tough. But that's what a good gore-based film does, it challenges its viewer to outlast it and stick through until the end. It's not supposed to be easy.

I really liked the opening scene and the very final scene in this movie. They bookended the film perfectly. I also liked how the movie always kept the viewer in the know about what was going on. It's never fun being confused in a horror film, so I was very pleased they did a good job of making it easy to follow. I had a good time with 'Impetigore' and would recommend it as a worth a look.

I really like the visual tone of this movie. Joko Anwar always use shades of yellow lights and dim, making the audience's perception to get into the movie storyline. Traditional and cultural elements are blended in the details in several scenes. In my opinion this movie is the development of the Pengabdi Setan (Satan's Slave) movie, but equipped with many plot twists.

From the writer-director of Satan's Slaves comes another dark, direful & disturbing nightmare that's drenched in dread & reeks of death from start to finish. Impetigore (Perempuan Tanah Jahanam) opens on a very promising note, sustains its sinister atmosphere for a good portion of its runtime but just like the aforementioned chiller, it loses its grasp in the final act.

Written & directed by Joko Anwar, the film exudes an unnerving sense of mystery & history with its opening scene and then silently envelops the story with a foreboding mood that only magnifies as our characters step into the remote village where most of the plot unravels. Anwar's grip on horror elements is firm, and though he indulges in violence & gore, he doesn't overdo it.

The small, secluded village bears marks of death, loss, suffering & plague-like aura. The steady camerawork & low-light photography add to its ominous tone. But there are also false alarms in here that seem forced while the lame exposition feels like a shortcut. Performances are good, ambience is threatening, and it does many things right yet it falls short of delivering on the expected terror & chills.

Overall, Impetigore is a skilfully crafted folk horror that comes steeped in curses & black magic, utilises its eerie setting to good effect, and finds Joko Anwar in better control of his craft, thus serving as another solid addition to his filmography. There are several impressive bits in the final print, scattered here n there, but as a whole, this Indonesian horror still leaves behind an underwhelming feeling due to its weak third act.

The set up of this film feels very convincing. The dialogue is pretty good. The interaction between characters in this film feels natural and believable.The setting and tone of this film is no doubt one of the best in Indonesian film history. One of my favorite aspect of this film is the depiction of a culture that feels sacred and real. This really helps bring up the feeling of uneasiness from the audiences.

After a convincing build up, the film feels like it ended in a hurry. The mysteries that have been built slowly from the start are forced to be answered in some flashbacks that are annoying and feel too long.The motivation of the villain feel poorly developed. At the end of this film, I feel there is a scene that can be compared to the "save Martha" scene which I think is quite stupid.

Maybe the problem with this film is rooted in the film's duration which is not long enough. This film can be a real masterpiece, but sadly this film did not reach its full potential. I really hope that Joko Anwar fix these problems in his next films.

It is good enough, a bad movie, production value is surprisingly great for an Indonesian movie. I liked it, but it is not that scary, it is more of a mistery than a horror movie