I look forward to watching the new Indonesian film, Tebusan Dosa, a ‘mystery-horror’ work by Yosep Anggi Noen, an enormously talented filmmaker (See his body of work, here). While I am not a fan of ‘horror’ films – not at all – Noen’s exceptional talent and vision, and the performances of Happy Salma, Shogen and Putri Marino, are especially appealing. A preview of the film is from The Movie Database.
Wening [Happy Salman] a woman experiences a tragic day when her daughter, goes missing after an accident where her mother also died because of that accident. Wening embarks on a desperate search to find her daughter, with the help of Tetsuya [Shogen], a guilt-ridden Japanese quest. However, amidst the search, Wening is haunted by the ghostly presence of her deceased mother and faces guilt for her past husband. In the uncovering of the mystery, she is also helped by Tirta [Putri Marino], a horror geek podcast creator-as it turns out, Tirta is her daughter’s swimming instructor. They unravel a shocking truth about her daughter’s disappearance.
Below is a trailer of Tebusan Dosa.
I especially liked Noen’s Genre Sub Genre, a short (17-minute) experimental project film and photographs of Museum Nusa Tenggara Timur.
I especially like the landscapes in Genre Sub Genre. The closest I have come to any of the landscapes was on the island of Lombok, in West Nusa Tenggara. I should try to watch the film again. I may have to wait until I get back to the region in 2025. In the meantime, I (also) await the wider release of Tebusan Dosa.