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While most in Western culture would associate the idea more in line with a horoscope, the concept of foretelling a person's fortune or future is more related to the concept of Primbon in Javanese society. Although the idea is similar, this section of Indonesia presents the idea as more of a book with details regarding people's fates, whether that be their dates aligning themselves into a blessing or a curse, partners being right for each other in marriage, and other such trivialities. Veteran Indonesian genre director Rudy Soedjarwo crafts this idea to mixed results with his latest film, aptly titled “Primbon,” now streaming on Netflix.

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Trying to make a birthday present, Rana (Flavio Zaviera) and her brother Janu (Chicco Kurniawan) head into the local jungle to make a gift for their mom Dini (Happy Salma), but when only Janu returns,...

My first thoughts on watching the new Indonesian film Primbon are that it is one of the better horror movies to have come out recently, but the caveat to that is that it has a rather regressive stance regarding the supernatural; the climax is not befitting of the great buildup. That being said, Primbon is actually a good example of how to have the right kind of exposition to set up a horror film. Horror requires some kind of deep dive into the unknown and the mythological legends of a place. The traditional population’s belief in the stories of the old sparks an interest, and one can build up the scenes from the inherent myths in the culture. Director Rudy Soedjarwo does not focus too much on explaining what Primbon is; we get to find out about it organically, almost simultaneously with the characters. That’s the best way...