Sorop

The cinematography of Sorop is so thoughtful; every shot feels like it is intentional. It's the kind of film where even the stillness feels like it is imbued with meaning.

Also, the actors (Hana Malasan and Yasamin Jasem) have such natural chemistry on the screen and their bond feels so real which makes it easy for viewers to get immersed in the story.

The film takes its time unfolding. If you're into slow-burn stories with a strong atmosphere, it's totally worth a watch. It's haunting in a quiet way, and definitely one to check out if you're in the mood for something beautifully shot and emotionally gripping.

After hearing news about their family, sisters return to their childhood home, where they learn they're to inherit it, but when they are suddenly confronted by a series of haunting spirits, they find that a relative failed in their quest for a special ceremonial ritual and has started targeting them.

There's quite a lot to like about this one. One of the better elements is a rather fun main setup that allows this to bring together the usually solid aspects found in this style of Indonesian supernatural genre fare. Immediately getting the sisters together with news about their family members' health struggles impeding on their personal lives and the need to go visit them in the countryside, this setup allows us to get to know them quickly and easily, so that by the time they arrive, there's a nice contrast to their lives upon returning home. The Gothic ambiance of the village out in the remote parts of the woods is eerily unfamiliar, so that the foreboding atmosphere of everything slowly being revealed to them. As it's not just the flashbacks to their strange encounters as kids that signal something is wrong, but the strange behavior of their uncle, who shows obvious signs of supernatural affliction, the gradual revelation of his haunted state comes about as they uncover the truth about the sinister ritual at the center of everything. The more they uncover about the ritual and its intentions, going back to how it affected them as kids, the main setup becomes even darker and chilling as it goes on. As well, the film manages to incorporate a solid if somewhat atypical series of hauntings and scares. The initial encounter with their possessed family member gives this one a strong start following through with an unhealthy amount of dirt vomited up before disappearing in a great shock moment to start the film off, while the follow-up scenes showing how they encountered similar such behavior from their mother while as kids helps to establish the lineage of the curse even further. Featuring the ashen-white, glassy-eyed, distorted voice ghosts so common in the genre, there's a solid amount of hauntings that occur, featuring the ghosts taunting them audibly before lunging out of the shadows to interact with their victim, causing them to perform unnatural activities or disappear just as quickly. It all leaves the tension and atmosphere quite high, as it is the concurrent investigation into the special ceremony that's causing the spirits to interact with them. Taking into account the series of tasks that have to be performed for the purpose it does, there's a genuine chill throughout the film as it slowly starts to reveal more to them about his past and how everything has been connected, which turns the film rather nicely from a simple haunting film into a more mystical black magic offering. It might be a bit by-the-numbers with how that comes about, but it provides the kind of emotional core that makes the finale chilling as they fight for each other and the sake of their family to end the curse. These all make for a rather fun and enjoyable film. There are some flaws here that do bring it down. The main telling issue is the overly sluggish and rather plodding tempo that takes forever for anything to remotely happen. A low-key approach to how the main mystery is spelled out and far more drama based on how the sisters deal with being back home under the confines of the curse makes for a struggle to get invested in anything. Rather than delve into the hauntings that have plagued the family and subject them to the same thing so that there's context for what's going on, the hauntings are confined to split-second yet chilling interactions that are barely followed through with. It's not until late in the running time that the nature of the ritual comes together with any kind of coherence, and it comes across with a lot of contrivance and forcing the issue to remain relevant. As characters remain in the haunted house against their will or leave them there without means of assistance, it becomes a slog to get through when we have little to go on, and irrational behavior fills the running time. The other factor here is the insistence on formulaic content, which is featured pretty heavily within here, from how the hauntings take place to the inclusion of a family curse that has come back to haunt the current generation. It's pretty familiar and doesn't spark as much interest as it should when it treads on familiar territory. It's not a huge issue, but it does hold this back somewhat.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.

Sorop draws you in with its rich visuals and fresh color palette, which help bring the village setting to life. The cinematography feels intentional, capturing both the beauty and eerie stillness of the world within the story. The sound design, though simple, plays a key role in building tension, making the unsettling moments even more effective.

The film also stands out because of the performances. Hana Malasan and Yasamin Jasem bring depth to their roles, creating a sibling dynamic that feels natural and real. Their bond strengthens the emotional core of the story, making their journey even more compelling. Despite this being their first collaboration, their chemistry makes their connection feel lived-in and authentic.

Given my love of all things horror and Asian cinema, then of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch the 2024 Indonesian horror movie "Sorop" from director Upi Avianto. Sure, I had never even heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it, not that it mattered, because it being a horror movie was more than sufficient to make me give it a viewing.

While the storyline certainly was watchable, it wasn't exactly an outstanding horror experience. It was somewhat generic and formulaic, especially to someone having watched Asian horror movies for many years. So "Sorop" wasn't an outstanding Indonesian horror movie from writers Upi Avianto and SimpleMan. There weren't really anything scary throughout the narrative. And an old bearded Indonesian man muttering the word "Sinom" hardly goes as being scary in my book.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but I will say that the acting performances were good.

The effects in the movie were also good, adding something, at least, to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

If you are a newcomer to the Indonesian horror cinema, then I suppose you will get a lot more out of watching "Sorop" than I did as a seasoned horror veteran.

"Sorop" is a movie that is suitable for a single viewing and is entertaining enough for what it was, but it is hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing.

My rating of director Upi Avianto's 2024 movie "Sorop" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.

Sorop I think has an interesting story idea that has not been developed before. If the things in the red book about Sorop and the fasting that was mentioned therein are crafted in a more detailed scenes, then the audience will know something new in the context of Javanese folk beliefs; as to why kids are not allowed to be outside of the house during dusk.

When there is a unique village story depicted, I think people would still throng to movie halls; let alone the mushrooming horror film production in Indonesia.

Something black that flows out of the mouth is to me quite disgusting.

Unfortunately, the story of Sorop was picturized for too long in the dark with quite a lot of jump scares that resulted in no goosebumps at all. Repetition of the same scene after scene without development on the story board to a new level caused tiresome to the eyes. Having said that, there could also be a slight psychological disturbance among the viewers which I suppose could have given rise to a feeling of boredom.