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Wisnu loves his
family very much. His father tries to
support the family from the money that he makes in
his small shop, his mother does what she can to make
sure that everyone is happy and his little sister is
the apple of his eye. There's nothing he wouldn't do
for her sister. But one day his idyllic life changes
as a riot hits the streets of Jakarta. People are
getting killed, buildings are being destroyed and
there's no place to hide.
A couple of months ago I saw the brilliant Indonesian
ghost story "Pocong 2" aka "Shrouded 2", a movie that
completely changed the way that I looked at Indonesian
horror flicks. That movie was scary, suspenseful and
extremely entertaining. Ever since then I've been
dying to see its predecessor but since it has yet to
be released anywhere since it ended up being banned
for graphical content, it's almost impossible to track
down. Now, imagine how excited I was when we managed
to secure this title for Insomnifest (www.insomnifest.com),
we didn't even ask to watch it first, we simply told
the production company that we wanted it. Well, it
finally arrived in my mailbox the other day and the
result is just beyond words.
While Shrouded 2 is a pure ghost flick, Shrouded is so
much of a ghost story as it is a tale of revenge.
I really don't want to ruin the plot for you but I can
tell you that it revolves around a young man, Wisnu,
who's filled with anger and every time he sees the
shrouded ghost (a pocong), his desire for revenge grows
stronger. What he wants revenge for? Well you'll have
to see when this movie plays at this years Insomnifest
in February. Indonesian censorship is just horrible,
they have no problem with banning movies so I didn't
know whether or not this movie really deserved to be
banned. Honestly, I don't think that it did but it is
indeed a very disturbing movie and very difficult to
watch at times. Still, the movie is so powerful and
gripping that there are times where you almost forget
to breathe because you're so deep into the movie.
Director Rudi Soedjarwo (undoubtedly one of the best
directors to come out of Indonesia) knows what true
horror is about. It's not about trying to scare the
audience every minute or so, it's about building up
a creepy atmosphere - and he sure as hell succeeds in
doing so. The movie has a slow and creepy pace and
doesn't necessarily go where you expect it to go. It
wants you to feel for every single one of these
characters, whether they're good or bad. I realize
that you may be a bit sceptical since I'm taking part
in the Insomnifest festival but honest to god this is
one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. Even
my roommate who hates Asian horror flicks loved it
and asked if we could watch the sequel right away.
Shrouded is an outstanding horror flick and is both
original and terrifying. This is definitely the best
Indonesian horror flick I've seen to date and it's a
shame that it never got to go theatrical in Indonesia
since it was banned. It's a powerful and gripping
tale of horror that will have you on the edge of your
seat throughout the entire thing. Sure enough, there
are a few moments were the movie has a tendency to
drag a bit but that's the only negative thing I can
say about this flick. Despite a relatively low budget,
this movie blew me away and I hope that you will check
it out and let it blow you away as well.
Not that much, this wasn't why it was banned. More
brutal than gory.
Very subtle score, works brilliantly.
Shrouded is definitely something we don't see everyday.
It's definitely a horror movie with a soul and I am
extremely impressed by Rudi Soedjarwo. This is not one
to be missed, but some scenes may be a bit too graphic
for some viewers. Still, I strongly recommend it.
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