27 Steps of May

This movie is one of the most important movie in Indonesia for me. A rare theme movie with outstanding performances from the actors, especially Raihanuun. She is the best!

Most media representations of SA survivors always put the spotlight on how the heinous things could even happen in the very first place; the perpetrators' motives, what the victims were doing in their lives (or even weirdly enough, wear) before the incident, and how heartbreaking it is for the family.

Ravi L. Bharwani and Rayya Makarim said otherwise.

This film takes us to look at the aftermath, how much an SA survivor had to endure an upside-down world, and how alienating the experience could be for the people around them. My heart continuously breaks as the film progresses and I don't think I can even bring myself to rewatch this film, but Raihaanun and Lukman Sardi delivered an immense performance for their respective roles.

It's been eight years and these two haven't moved on one bit. They haven't processed any of it. They are stuck.

I loved how father and daughter mirror each other. She spirals and he goes berserk in the ring. She disrupts her routine and shows some whimsy, he calms down and becomes creative with his garden.

It's a little contrived how May gets captivated by the magic and gets out of her head a little. The ending is too idealistic and too sudden, like a fever dream, but maybe well-deserved. They need a lot of therapy. And maybe some pets.

The reenactment scene was scary. But the depiction of trauma felt very raw.

Because of main actress only has few dialogue, it's interesting to know that she is very great expresses her acting into body languange and facial expression in whole of this movie.

This is a rare insanely beautiful gem that stays in your mind for a long time. The visually language and the wonderful yet somewhat ferocious plot creates a really innovative film. I haven't seen anything like it even if a few elements reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.

The acting is superb and I can't believe that this isn't a contender in the Oscars. Yet I would have prefered a different ending, a more ambiguous one and that is the only reason I rate this a 9.