Possession: Kerasukan is set to be released in 2024 as an Indonesian psychological horror film directed by Razka Robby Ertanto. It servces as a bold adaptation of Andrzej żuławski’s 1981 cult classic Possession. While both films share the underlying premise of a marriage collapsing under the weight of hidden trauma and supernatural forces, the adapation steers toward indonesian cultural frameworks, weaving in local mythology and spiritual vlements which heightens the sense of dread and emotional breakdown. The adaptation focuses on an atmospheric and culturally rich interpretation of indonesian folklore and spirituality.
Andrzej’s work is famed for its surrealistic emotionally staggering depiction of disintegrating marriages with elements of horror.
Synopsis
The film starts off with Faris, a stoic soldier returning to Jakarta after a deployed military assignment. A warm reunion with his wife Ratna and their son Budi awaits him, but he instead fares with emotional distance and a sobering revelation – Ratna wants a divorce. It is not so easy for Faris who is dumbfounded and emotionally shattered to process the whirlwind of reality where the woman he loves has suddenly grown cold, evasive, and passes through psychological breaks.
Faris believes that Ratna is possibly cheating on him, and due to her increasingly odd behavior which includes violent outbursts and secretive absences, he resorts to tracking her in hopes of confirming his suspicions. His tracking led him to believe that Wahyu, Ratna’s co-worker, could possibly be the reason for their discord. What Faris uncovers is infidelity, but to him, that is the least of his worries.
She was revealed to be suffering from deeply unsettling visions, inexplicable supernatural phenomena with dissociative behavior, and extreme out-of-body experiences. Her body is covered in strange marks like bruises, and she is apparently conversing with someone who is not there. To make matters worse, Faris was trying to save his wife and piece together their broken family, thus, turning to a retired spiritual healer, Toni, who bluntly told him that Ratna was possibly suffering from possession.
This is where it gets chaotic. The story alternates from psychological tension of horror to full on spiritual warfare as injuries mounted and Ratna’s explosive forceful change into full-on possessed mode leaves no room for doubt. Speaking in multiple languages, disappearing, and surging strength become mundane. Deep in the shadows, hidden from view, Budi, their son, silently endured the horrific nightmare unfolding.
The confrontation between Toni and Faris battling the spirit that is tormenting Ratna culminates in an exorcism. It becomes clear that what had been haunting Ratna all along was a ‘pocong,’ a spirit in Indonesian mythology that emerges when a corpse is bound without prescribed funeral rituals being performed. The pocong manifests as a result of Ratna’s repressed trauma and guilt revolving around her younger sibling’s death: the incident was so painful, she was never truly allowed the space to mourn it.
By now, it is evident that the juncture of psychological wound and spiritual affliction has blended past recognition. The possession takes a toll on Ratna physically, yet mentally, she and Faris will never truly recover from the emotional scars. The family will always be altered by far more than what remains once the supernatural being is banished.
Cast and Characters
Darya Sinathrya as Faris: Faris carries the film’s emotional weight. He is a character defined by love, duty, responsibility, and discipline. Sinathrya captures the nuanced struggle of a husband who desperately fights for his wife’s soul—and emotionally dismantles himself mentally in the process—relying entirely on her with no trust in her autonomy.
Carissa Perusset as Ratna: Perusset showcases an astonishing range of expression in the character of a woman figuratively and literally consumed by grief. The depth of emotion she brings to the role of Ratna is staggering, illuminating her character’s multifaceted turmoil.
Sarah Fajira as Mita: Ratna’s co-worker and confidant who obscures the plot and further develops the motive for Faris’ suspicion about the case.
Arswendy Bening Swara as Toni: A critical character in depicting Faris’s encounters with the terrifying phenomena his wife suffers from, Toni is a psychic with an unfortunate history.
Nugie as Wahyu: An unreliable figure within the storyline; Wahyu’s unclear bond with Ratna creates conflict but ultimately uncovers genuine realities.
Sulthan Hamonangan as Budi: The son of Faris and Ratna, whose quiet gaze defines the impact that adult turmoil brings and serves as an observation marker for unspoken feelings.
Ferry Salim and Rangga Nattra contribute with supporting roles that enhance the complexity of the story and mood.
Direction and Cinematic Style
Everything is masterfully crafted in Tedhi’s The Disease. Director Razka Robby Ertanto tightly designs the compact yet moody atmosphere that stays with you long after the picture is done. Appropriately dim lighting and tight interior shots alongside set pieces with minimalistic and understated style serve to reinforce the growing unease and bubbling claustrophobia. It is with long takes of dimly lit space and sharp shadows that the psyche of Ratna as she descends into madness alongside her husband Faris is captured by the camera work of Yunus Pasolang.
With the fascinating framing done by Febby Gozal and Sentot Sahid, the pace remains intense, allowing the audience to experience every unsettling pause and haunting instance of possession. The film accomplishes a carefully calculated mix of horror with drama—the supernatural moments are especially jarring when they come because the filmmakers do not overplay their hand.
Mondo Gascaro’s score is simultaneously beautiful and mournful. It underscores important moments without overshadowing the actors, amplifying the emotional intensity. The subtle inclusion of Indonesian instruments within the music goes a long way to establishing the ethnocentric nature of the horror.
The Film’s Symbolism and Themes
Possession : Kerasukan weaves cultural aspects with its horror story. At its heart, the film deals with repression of feelings, unhealed wounds, and the blurry boundaries of affection and abuse. Faris’s character arc is as much about embracing despair as he comes to face evil.
Utilizing the pocong as the main supernatural character engages with the cultural anxieties of death, mourning, and unsettled spirits. In Indonesian myths, a pocong is said to appear when a spirit is trapped due to incomplete funeral rites. In the film, it represents Ratna’s inability to cope with grief, which exacerbates the potential for possession.
The union of Faris and Ratna highlights a suspensive concern of a society: the invisibility of the suffering woman’s trauma. Ratna’s supernatural possession is, on one hand, a woman’s attempt to fight back against the trauma of war and, on the other hand, a commentary on women’s portrayals when trying to work through their trauma.
Reception
Possession: Kerasukan was received with intrigue, although opinion seemed largely mixed upon its initial release. The atmospheric tension, engaging performances, and cult focus were some of the film’s highlights for critics. Carissa Perusset’s performance in the role of Ratna was underscored by various commentators as one of the most striking this year, earning her recognition in one of southeast Asia regional modern horror cinema most memorable roles.
A section of the audience found the first act sluggish Seeing the film through the prism of Żuławski’s original work, some horror subgenre puritans felt lukewarm affection. Understanding straddled between centuries, wyczerpany ranczowaniem. But the majority praised the fact that this version, albeit feeling dislocated from the preexisting framework, offered bold adaptations that strengthened its arguments, particularly for anyone lacking prior knowledge of the framework.
Conclusion
Possession: Kerasukan is a film that deeply investigates emotional breakdown, spiritual disturbance, and the horror which exists beneath frail humanity. By blending the themes of a European cult classic with the diverse cultural and spiritual facets of Indonesia, the film offers a very different narrative experience. It might not satisfy everyone as a horror film, but as a gripping personal drama combined with uncanny supernatural elements, it does its job. Possession: Kerasukan stands out in the Southeast Asian psychological thriller films due to its strong cast and culturally rooted themes of horror.
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