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Seperti Dendam Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas
Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash
Indonesia / Singapore / Germany 2021
produced by Meiske Taurisia, Muhammad Zaidy, Natalie Balakrishnan (executive), Natasha Sidharta (executive), Willawati (executive) for Palari Films, Phoenix Films, E&W Films, Match Factory Productions, Bombero International
directed by Edwin
starring Marthino Lio, Ladya Cheryl, Reza Rahadian, Ratu Felisha, Sal Priadi, Kevin Ardillova, Kiki Narendra, Djenar Maesa Ayu, Eduward Manalu, Lukman Sardi, Ayu Laksmi, Yudi Ahmad Tajudin, Piet Pagau, Elly D. Luthan, Cecep Arif Rahman, Christine Hakim
screenplay by Edwin, Eka Kurniawan, based on a novel by Eka Kurniawan, music by Dave Lumenta
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Indonesia, the 1980s: Ajo (Martino Lio) is a hitman for the mob, who on
a job falls in love with Iteung (Ladya Cheryl), the bodyguard of one of
his hits. The two beat one another black and blue, but once the job is
done it turns out the tender feeling is mutual, and the two become a
couple, and marry even. There's one problem, Ajo is impotent, but at first
that doesn't matter too much as they're madly in love. Thing is, Iteung is
eventually cornered by an ex and forced to having sex with him, and it's
not long before she learns she's pregnant. When she tells Ajo, he
immediately breaks off with her - but bungles up his last hit and is sent
to prison. Iteung tries to visit him in prison multiple times, but he
refuses to see her - but after leaving her baby on someone else's doorstep
she knows what to do to win back his love: To avenge Ajo's mother, who
when he was a child was raped and murdered before his very eyes. When
Ajo's released from prison again, he becomes a trucker, and tries to stay
on the right side of the law, which includes dodging fights he could
easily win and the like. One day he picks up a beautiful female
hitchhiker, Jelita (Ratu Felisha) and despite her repeated offers to
"pay" the fare, he remains the perfect gentleman - and a good
thing that is, too, as Jelita is actually an avenging spirit on the
lookout for those who have wronged her ... If above reads like
a pretty crazy collection of pulp motives, that's of course true, as on
one hand this movie is an hommage to both local and international pulp
cinema of the 1980s that also includes plenty of martial arts and violence
- but that's really just the story level of the movie, as beneatht he fast
paced action piece, the film hides strong criticism of the toxic
masculinity in both these movies of old and society as such, and often
subverts gender traditions in order to shine a light on things - but
without ever standing in the way of the story, which flows rather easily.
It's just that in many of the film's hyperboles, genre conventions get
exhilarating spins, making the movie a sure hoot to watch.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
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a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
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Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
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