Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, 2018.
Directed by Mouly Surya.
Starring Marsha Timothy, Dea Panedra, Egy Fedley, Yoga Pratama, and Haydar Salishz.
SYNOPSIS:
When Marlina (Marsha Timothy) is confronted with the prospect of a horrific assault by a man named Markus (Egy Fedley) and his gang, the widower takes action into her own hands, leading to a cross country journey to report the crime, from which she can’t quite escape.
Like a ninety minute Quentin Tarantino vignette, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is a ‘brutiful’ Indonesian revenge drama that’s as timely as it is brilliant.
Framed like a contemporary Western, it’s an admittedly difficult watch, with the catalyst for Marlina’s journey an unsettling attack, that veers from terrifyingly loud silence, to flashes of explicit violence. It’s never gratuitous, but at times you wonder whether the power of suggestion might have been enough. The way in which Marlina’s ordeal is outlined by scuzzy gang leader Markus is as upsetting as the act itself.
What such a painfully indelible scene does allow for is the emergence of Marsha Timothy, with a performance of subtle defiant strength that drives the story forward, carrying you along on horseback with severed head (you’ll see) in tow. There are no histrionics, and her dialogue is sparse, and while her actions might make you think of Kill Bill, she’s so much more than the bride.
Marlina’s a totem of empowerment for characters in the film, inspiring resilience in a world in which woman are valued less than cattle. Expectant mothers are given gravel road beatings, and in a moment as culturally resonant as any in the film, Marlina’s confession is ignored by the authorities, dismissed because the power of her voice is not enough for them. Immediately you’re on board for her own form of retribution.
Broken into a series of four chapters to mirror its obvious genre influences, the film looks stunning, particularly as we travel across the dusty landscape with Marlina. There are a couple of sequences in which Mouly Surya allows for some let-up in the bleak narrative, with the camera pulling back so that we can take a breather as the bus weaves a windy road, and a passenger enlightens us with some amusing pregnancy anecdotes. Much like the environment in which Marlina’s arduous journey is set, there is a desolate harshness that’s punctuated with shards of light.
A feminist parable, and just straight up terrific film, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is a lean exercise in revisionist Western filmmaking. See it before they ruin it with a remake.
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts screens at the East London Film Festival on 26th April 2018.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★ ★
Matt Rodgers
