In 2024, Yongki Ongestu will direct the Indonesian supernatural horror film ‘Kuyang’ which expands Southeast Asia’s cinematic folklore horror collection. The movie intertwines maternal dread with Kalimantan folklore and gives us an unnerving tale filled with mythology. It features a Kuya Medusa which adds a supernatural horror vibe set in Kalimantan.
Synopsis
Bimo, a young civil servant, gets assigned to a Borneo village for his administrative tasks, together with is pregnant wife, Sriatun. The couple was excited about starting life in the new village but didn’t anticipate how chaotic things would be.
Sriatun certainly knows how to attract trouble with the strange occurrences surrounding her. The haunting voices Sriatun hears during the night followed by colorless shadows and the aura of something sinister lurking close is no imagination. The feeling of dread is made much worse after getting an ambiguous warning about staying alone after dark especially while pregnant.
The villagers live steeped in superstitious beliefs tied to folklore and customs. They fear a demon known as Kuyang who is believed to be a headless woman flying at night with her guts hanging out. It is said that she preys on the blood of pregnant women and infants. As dread mounts, Sriatun starts feeling like Kuyang is stalking her.
Together, the couple approaches village’s recluse and shaman, Mina Uwe. While she offers these protective rituals, her motives will not prove kind in the end. Bimo learns through the unveiling secrets that his unborn child is cursed to fulfill a dreadful pact and shrouded prophecy.
With the villagers revealing more truths and time becoming scarce, Sriatun and Bimo are at the crossroads of facing the sinister power which binds the villagers or running away from it. The last part ends in the galvanizing clash of ancient evil versus a mother’s will sending shivers down spectators’ spines.
Characters and Performances
Kuyang’s highlights rely on its organic performances and balance the emotional depth of devastation and loss while showcasing the supernatural elements.
Dimas Aditya satisfactorily plays the part of Bimo, exhibiting shock and grief all at once portrayed as a familial man who is stuck in between duties. The character arc from being a rational skeptic and an emotionally charged protector is remarkable in the very least.
Alyssa Abidin as Sriatun, the main character, captures the audience’s eyes with a multi-dimensional performance. An anxious pregnant woman is held in a dualistic form of psychological and physical captivity, branding her with vulnerability yet showcasing resolve.
Putri Ayudya is exceptional as Mina Uwe. Her metamorphosis from a comforting shaman to a more sinister figure is truly disturbing. She is neither a straightforward antagonist nor a villainous character but serves as a duty bound to darker traditions.
Supporting characters such as Elly D. Luthan as Tambi Nyai, Egy Fedly as Bue Alang, and Andri Mashadi as Tingen expand the village setting and contribute ground blending performances that build upon the feeling of stifling isolation and claustrophobia.
Cultural Context and Mythology
The feature that Kuyang has and others horror films do not is their tight knit relation to local legends. Kuyang is a mythical creature well known in places such as Kalimantan and other areas in south eastern Asia. Kuyang is known of in Malaysia as Penanggalan while in Thailand it is called Krasue. It is depicted as a female spirit or rather a witch who brutally seeks dark powers aided by horrendous means.
By adding this layer of lore, the film does not remain just a ghost story; rather, it attempts to delve into the ways folklore and modern day sociocultural systems co-exist in communities. The villagers’ stubborn adherence to ritual practices, their harsh and muted warnings, as well as playback on some things suggest a society which is spiritually imprisoned as well as afraid.
In the work of Yongki Ongestu we do not see the myth served simply as eye candy. He constructs the story around the myth, allowing it to shape the characters as well as the pacing, their choices, and the increase of tension throughout the story. The film encompasses more than psychological edge of horror; it depicts modern and primitive confrontation, logic and ancient mystic fears.
Cinematography and Direction
Kuyang is shot out in Kalimantan rural areas, where the set does wonders towards the film itself. Surrounded by deep forests, foggy village pathways and darkened rooms with scanty light bring about an aspect of horror. The Yougki Ongestu custom made Kuyang sets were made with purpose of bringing horror with deep shots in quiet calm modes rather than through acceleration. He chose to use slowly moving shots, where the mood created suggests horror in moderation – rather than having frequent bursts of surprise that many other movies rely on.
The use of sound is equally commendable. Chants and indigenous music enhance authenticity while traditional vocals blend with low, rumbling tones in the underscore to tense scenes. Reno Rolander, the composer, chillingly underscores character disintegration with unnerving percussions and agonizing silences.
Overall, the direction demonstrates respect for the narrative. Ongestu does not treat such cultural aspects as exotic trappings to be flaunted, but integrates them as part of the story. He incorporates these elements with a scholarly approach, which adds both value and reality to the film, as unlike Kuyang, other more conventional horror films lack profundity.
Themes and Symbolism
Kuyang examines the concepts of fear and sacrifice rooted in maternal instincts, skepticism versus belief, and the duality of devotion. Symbolically, Sriatun is more than a mother-to-be; she embodies the sheer strength and terror motherhood evokes when faced with danger.
Ritualistic tradition blindly followed is also critiqued in the film. The villagers perform age-old rituals claiming they seek to protect themselves, but more often than not, it becomes apparent that their traditions nurture the evil they wish to avoid. Culturally bound, Mina Uwe’s character represents the conflict between duty and humanity, burdened by such unyielding traditions.
There are also clear metaphors concerning insiders and outsiders. As newcomers, Bimo and Sriatun not only have to confront the threat of the supernatural, but also the insular, closed off world of a community that distrusts newcomers yet expects their complicity and silence.
Reception and Rating
Kuyang attracted average to positive feedback from its domestic audience and fans of the genre. It has a score of 5.2 out of 10 on IMDb, which many consider a lukewarm reception. Supporters lauded the film for creatively incorporating Indonesian folklore and its captivating surroundings.. Critics and audiences alike praised the wonderful character portrayals, particularly Alyssa Abidin as Sriatun, and the cultural authenticity portrayed in the film.
Critics noted some shortcomings in the film, particularly around pacing issues in the second act where prolonged exposition halts forward momentum. Some critics also remarked that the climax could have been more colorful or spectacular. Many reviews, however, accepted that Kuyang seemed more focused on psychological tension and building an unsettling atmosphere than traditional horror elements and contrived scares.
Kuyang is a strikingly different facet/angle of horror cinema. The film transcends the boundaries of more generic horror films as it is practically rooted in a chilling perusal of Indonesian culture. It is uniquely singular and plural at the same time. This duality can be derived from the movie’s in-depth exploration of the Kalimantan folklore and the modern-day fears surrounding motherhood as well as isolation.
Kuyang is an evocative watch for fans of horror and those interested in international cinema which exhibits a breath of its own. The film is devoid of over-the-top gore or jump shocks, but it suffocates viewers in a grasping terror that builds supremely and stealthily with every little detail revealed. The film, much like the legend it recounts, stays with the viewer long after the credits roll.
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