Roh

I am usually the first to dissent from saying that a certain film is the foreign equivalent of another, but in this case the comparison helps me identifying the tone and target audience of who will appreciate this film.

It's a slow burn, devoid of any mainstream sensationalism that makes the horror genre suffer lately. It's definitely more of an arthouse work, that cares more about constructing a narrative than making the audience get a heart attack.

Like, as I learned, most of the latter horror films from far east, Roh draws from local folklore. What makes Roh more interesting is the sense of mystery that sorrounds the events.

In a clear choice, the dialogue is minimal and there is heavy subtraction. In other words, much is implied, not said, assumed, and this makes the ending, although clear, with unanswered questions.

I mentioned "The Witch" because the tone is very similar, although the setting is somewhat radically different, and the different culture makes the seemingly similar plots very radically different.

Roh is Emir Ezwan's directorial debut, and as such, it is outstanding. I hope that we get to see more from him in the near future.

I have seen "Roh" at the Far East Film Festival Online. Despite the first "official" screening is on the 3rd of July, all the films of the films can be seen at any time during the festival days.

I feel pretty down the middle on this one. I was invested, but maybe not riveted. It delivers the necessities competently, never feeling derivative, but not totally something you haven't seen before. I couldn't always see where it was going, but I wasn't that surprised when it got there. It's the pinnacle of the slow burn, taking it's time but properly peppering in some shockingly morose scenes, and definitely not shying away from violence towards children. The cinematography is lovely, though that generally just amounts to a multitude of slow shots of the jungle, the droning music hammers home the moody atmosphere.

I don't wanna come off too harshly, it's clearly an indie picture due to how sparse it all is, but it looks great and the performances are excellent. Basically everyone involved did good at their jobs, which is a pretty solid accomplishment for first time director Emir Ezwan. The minimalism is a bit of a patience tester, so it'll be down to individual tastes how effective that is. If you're a fan of folk horror and stuff like The Witch, this might be up your alley. It feels like a wise old sage spinning a dark tail of the evils of the old world, delivered at a steady, deliberate pace with very little light at the end of the tunnel.

This one started out great for me. Super atmospheric and visually beautiful with a solid creep factor. As it went on, the story got more and more convoluted and slightly confusing to the point that it fell apart for me a bit. However I wouldn't let that deter you from watching it, it just dropped it from a 7 to a 6.5, ultimately leaving it at a 6.

Regardless, beautiful atmospheric slow burn folk horror, would recommend .

It's like giving someone who can't cook all the best ingredients and the best modern Kitchen but the person doesn't know how to cook. The movie looks beautiful and the pacing is nice, acting also good, but the the ending is just horrible. Watched with family and friends but no one understood the movie and we all felt like we were taken for a ride. The pay off for waiting and following the movie till the end is not there. Could have been the best Malaysian movie but ended up making the audience angry.

Bringing new blood to Malaysian horror, 'Roh' provides a suitably unsettling destination for fans of darkly atmospheric horror. While it's sparse in plot and setting, Emir Ezwan's skilful and careful execution, in the staging, composition, editing and excellent photography, elevates the story further and covers up most of the film's missteps.