Belenggu (Alternate title: Shackled) | 2012 | 1h 40m
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Horror/Mystery/Thriller |
Country: Indonesia
Director: Upi Avianto | Writers: Upi Avianto
Cast: Abimana Aryasatya, Imelda Therinne, Laudya Cynthia
Bella
IMDB: 6.2
My Rating: 8/10
Elang is trapped in madness, haunted by suspicions of a killer rabbit that keeps appearing in his dreams and a desire to free Jingga, the woman he loves, from the shackles that bind her.
Warning:
Contains scenes of violence, murder, and strong language.
Synopsis of Belenggu:
A murder case involving a woman as the victim occurs in the small town where Elang (Abimana Aryasatya) lives. The killer is still roaming free in the town without his identity being known. This makes all the residents accuse and suspect each other. Elang is also not exempt from this suspicion.
Elang himself is haunted by strange dreams about the killer. A figure in a rabbit costume that keeps appearing in his dreams is suspected to be the killer they're looking for. Elang suspects that the figure is Guntur (Verdi Solaiman), the husband of his apartment neighbor, Djenar (Laudya Cynthia Bella). Guntur seems to treat Djenar badly, seen from Djenar's constant fear whenever her husband comes home. Elang is also worried that Guntur will kill Djenar, like in his dream.
Jingga (Imelda Therinne), the woman who also always appears in Elang's dreams. Even though Elang has never met Jingga, she keeps appearing in his dreams as if she's delivering a message. Jingga suddenly appears at the bar where Elang works. Elang's curiosity arises after seeing Jingga in person and interacting with her.
People start to look strangely and suspiciously at Elang for his behavior. Guntur reports him to the detective who is investigating the murder case. The bar owner also becomes suspicious, especially after Elang's closeness to Jingga. Elang starts to find it hard to distinguish between dreams and reality. He repeatedly sees bad shadows of Djenar and Jingga.
Will Elang succeed in solving the mystery happening around
him?
Review of Belenggu:
Belenggu offers a pretty interesting story with psychological play, focusing on dreams and imagination. Viewers are drawn into the puzzle of the story that is hard to guess. There are so many twists to be found in this film. So viewers really have to pay close attention to every story presented.
For some people, the slow-paced story will cause boredom at the beginning of the story. However, the story and conflict development are done well. Even though the ending feels rushed, it's still presented well enough.
Cinematography, camera movement, color composition, and music selection are done very well. Plus, the very impressive acting from Abimana with all the expressions he shows in every scene. Unfortunately, the acting from the supporting cast is still a bit stiff and makes the story look a little unnatural. The use of formal dialogue adds to the artistic impression of the story.
Overall, this film is quite interesting to watch, especially
for fans of psychological thriller stories. It's rare to find Indonesian films
that dare to raise similar themes.
Memorable Scene:
Jingga's words asking Elang to avenge her keep ringing in
Elang's head and make him feel lost and drown in his own thoughts. Plus, the
song that suddenly plays with such a mysterious sound. In this scene, we can
see the extraordinary expression of madness shown by Elang. This leaves a deep
impression and shows the pretty great acting ability shown by Abimana.
Memorable Dialogue:
"You've been cursed. That demon is trying to reign over you"
Ending:
Twist Ending
Recommendation:
Worth to Watch
(Aluna)
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