IMDb RATING
5.2/10
1.3K
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A detective is forced to confront the ghosts of her past while investigating a mysterious serial murder case along the Indonesia-Malaysia border.A detective is forced to confront the ghosts of her past while investigating a mysterious serial murder case along the Indonesia-Malaysia border.A detective is forced to confront the ghosts of her past while investigating a mysterious serial murder case along the Indonesia-Malaysia border.
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"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."
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."
Borderless Fog is one of those movies that come and go. Though solid on some aspects, its convoluted story might miss the mark on delivering a compelling experience. Enjoyable if you like Cinema from less-than-mainstream venues, but average at most.
The premise of this story is interesting and worth exploring. A newly assigned woman detective is investigating a murder that happened at the border between Indonesia and Malaysia, in the Island of Brunei. The story promises Political conflicts, corruption, conspiracy, and mystery, thus captivating the audience.
Another nice element is the culture-heavy setting, which adds a drama element to the story. Seeing Indonesia-Malaysia, and Brunei, through the lens of the story adds an interesting backgorund to the whole plot.
The execution, though, is a mix-bag. As the story progresses, we see that most of the investigation elements are interrogations - accurate with how overall investigations go, and, in Brunei, maybe that's the extent of their Forensics, - but overall progression is a bit off. A few plot events happen by chance, which move the "investigation" further, but the story lacks that intelligent thinking the audience would want from the detectives.
That culminates in a complicated storyline, one that could force you to either read online what happened or, as a warning here, pay close attention to the dialogue - as one should. It is easy to miss important expository information, and, by the end, feel cheated. The ending, however, does leave things too unresolved, the ending scene perhaps a critical hint at how things work there.
Sanja, the main character, ends up with a flat development arc. Acceptable but unexplored potential. Putri Marino's acting, on the other hand, is quite alright.
Overall, Borderless Fog delivers a mixed crime and mystery experience through a convoluted plot arc. If you get it from the start, the movie gets a shiny star - if not, and you have the time to read through some blogs, adding to the payoff understanding, you should understand what this review entails: intelligent plot arc through a complicated execution. In the end, though it is an interesting story, it missed the point of what it tried to preach.
The premise of this story is interesting and worth exploring. A newly assigned woman detective is investigating a murder that happened at the border between Indonesia and Malaysia, in the Island of Brunei. The story promises Political conflicts, corruption, conspiracy, and mystery, thus captivating the audience.
Another nice element is the culture-heavy setting, which adds a drama element to the story. Seeing Indonesia-Malaysia, and Brunei, through the lens of the story adds an interesting backgorund to the whole plot.
The execution, though, is a mix-bag. As the story progresses, we see that most of the investigation elements are interrogations - accurate with how overall investigations go, and, in Brunei, maybe that's the extent of their Forensics, - but overall progression is a bit off. A few plot events happen by chance, which move the "investigation" further, but the story lacks that intelligent thinking the audience would want from the detectives.
That culminates in a complicated storyline, one that could force you to either read online what happened or, as a warning here, pay close attention to the dialogue - as one should. It is easy to miss important expository information, and, by the end, feel cheated. The ending, however, does leave things too unresolved, the ending scene perhaps a critical hint at how things work there.
Sanja, the main character, ends up with a flat development arc. Acceptable but unexplored potential. Putri Marino's acting, on the other hand, is quite alright.
Overall, Borderless Fog delivers a mixed crime and mystery experience through a convoluted plot arc. If you get it from the start, the movie gets a shiny star - if not, and you have the time to read through some blogs, adding to the payoff understanding, you should understand what this review entails: intelligent plot arc through a complicated execution. In the end, though it is an interesting story, it missed the point of what it tried to preach.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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- Borderless Fog
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- Runtime1 hour 50 minutes
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