Here at ScreenAnarchy we generally cover two types of movies. First we have those that are considered "genre", and next we have those which are mainstream, but from a "foreign" country. In both cases it means we try to enlighten you about titles worth your time, which you normally would never hear about because they're outside the American mainstream.
But there is a third type which is even more obscure: the "genre" movie which is also from a "foreign" country. Often we can have a good laugh with these, whether that was the original intention of the creators or not. Take Indonesia for example. What genre movies come to mind? Hilarious exploitation schlock like "Virgins from Hell", or even better, the totally barmy "Mystics in Bali".
So what a pleasant surprise it is to find a genre movie from Indonesia which I can wholeheartedly recommend to...
...well, to everyone who would like a damn good mainstream movie!
For Joko Anwar's "Kala" (aka. "Dead Time") is a wonderful mix of film noir and Asian horror. Its initial premise is simple enough: a reporter investigates a murder and stumbles across something much, MUCH bigger. But, and here it gets special, this "something" seems to be under some sort of supernatural protection, silencing anyone who tells its secrets.
And the film works. It manages to be both a decent thriller which looks incredibly slick, and a fantasy yarn not unlike the Russian "Nightwatch"-series.
More after the break...
The Story:
In a decaying, divided fifties Indonesia-that-never-was, Janus is a reporter who has a bad time of it. Recently his narcolepsy has become worse, causing him to fall asleep whenever he gets stressed.
This condition causes his wife to leave him and his newspaper to fire him, all on the same day.
But when Janus collects information on his last article, covering the brutal and senseless lynching of five suspected thieves by an angry mob, something odd happens: the wife of one of the victims mutters an address and soon afterwards dies in a car accident. Janus has the address on tape but EVERYONE who hears the tape (or learns about the address in another way) seems to die violently!
Creepy though that may be, it doesn't stop the police, criminals, corrupt politicians and even his ex-wife from trying to find out what that address is, by any means necessary...
Soon, Janus gets stressed to the point that he keeps falling asleep at the most inopportune moments, and while he looks for answers he only finds more questions:
-What can be found at that address?
-Are there supernatural forces at work?
-What is the link between all his recent mishaps and a legend about the possible reunification of Indonesia?
The Movie:
Genre mesh.
That would probably be the best category to put "Kala" under.
But what is most surprising here is which genres were meshed, how well that was done, and how delightful the end result is. Film Noir, fantasy and a dollop of Asian long-hair ghost story? Who would have thought...
It's hard to tell exactly why this works without diving into story details and spoiling the plot. Director Joko Anwar has successfully taken the beloved cliches of these genres and juggles them together, using their very familiarity to his advantage. It's a strange and unpredictable story he tells, yet he has arranged his film in such a clever way that many details are easy to foresee because they're virtually heralded by the genre which they are part of. Of course there is a femme fatale in the Film Noir part. Of course there is no escaping the wrath of whatever is hunting the... well, that'd be telling.
By giving all these little footholds Anwar manages to avoid alienating his audience while telling them something which amounts to, basically, a fairy-tale.
But most impressively, he manages to avoid the pitfalls of the genre. For example: even though there is some sort of long-haired supernatural apparition here which manages to score a few good frights, "Kala" never goes for the cheap shock effects and fake scares which I've grown to hate so much in that genre. Aimed at a general audience, what is on display here isn't too extreme, choosing to tickle rather than to hurt. Mind you, it still features the odd decapitation or two and there is a VERY shocking shot of a pedestrian being run over by a bus!
Another thing which works is the acting. All main roles are portrayed as real people (unless genre convention dictates they should be over-the-top) and you really feel with them. Fachry Albar is great as the naive and desperate Janus, and it would have been totally his movie if not for Ario Bayu who plays Eros, the cop who is chasing the same secret as Janus. Ario Bayu steals every scene he's in, giving a multi layered performance as the goody-two-shoes policeman with a secret or two.
But what really, REALLY works is the general look of the film. The tropical atmosphere of Indonesia is known to lend itself for a sultry tale, but this apparently gets amplified when you use this background in a "faux" Film Noir. Kudos to everyone involved with the art direction too, because the fifties setting never feels fake.
So is it perfect?
No, but it's very good.
The fantasy doesn't hurt the more down-to-earth parts of the movie, but it does make the story as a whole maybe a little... childish, by lack of a better word. Also the ending goes a bit over the top in style, and its wild coloring contrasts with the beautiful subtle shades in the rest of the film. Speaking of the ending, "Kala" stops at a point where you SERIOUSLY want to know what happens next with some of the characters.
But all of these things are obviously deliberate choices by the director as part of his vision, instead of bumbling mistakes, and I respect him for that. The abrupt ending is a fitting end to this particular story. It's just that, like "The Matrix" and "Unbreakable", you get the impression that this was just the introduction to a far grander tale!
Conclusion:
If you have zero tolerance for any supernatural fantasy in your movie, you might want to consider skipping "Kala". But if you love either Film Noir or fantasy, go see this film!
It will take you for quite a ride if you'll allow it to.
And I definitely hope Joko Anwar makes a sequel someday...