Inang

I think that overall this was a successful film. I think it could have benefited greatly from being condensed a bit. The almost two hour run time felt drawn out and like they didn't have quite enough to fill it. The pacing was just a tad too slow but what they did have was interesting and spooky.

I wish they had leaned into the creepy folk lore they were working with opposed to relying on quite a few jump scares. Also the special effects weren't the best but can for sure be looked past. The acting over all was decent across the board with two really great, high intensity high emotion scenes from the son towards the end.

I am partial to foreign folk horror so I am giving this a six, but for most it would probably land around a 5. Would still recommend.

When I sat down here in 2023 to watch the 2022 Indonesian horror movie "Inang" (aka "The Womb"), I hadn't heard about the movie at all. But it being an Asian horror movie was, of course, sufficient to make me want to watch it.

So I had no expectations to the movie, and writer Deo Mahameru and director Fajar Nugros had every opportunity to entertain, bedazzle and surprise me.

Well, I wasn't much of any of those three things actually, because "Inang" was a rather mundane and semi-boring horror movie. There wasn't much of anything scary happening in the movie at any time. And while the storyline actually was adequate enough, there just simply wasn't enough drive to the narrative to keep this movie above the waters of mediocrity.

The acting performances in "Inang" were good. I wasn't familiar with the cast, but they actually put on good performances, despite of only having limited material to work with.

As much as I enjoy horror movies and with all the horror movies I have sat through, then "Inang" doesn't even remotely come close to being a memorable or scary movie experience. As silently as this movie crept in under the radar, just as quietly will it fade back into oblivion. "Inang" is the type of movie that you watch once, shelf it and never glance at its direction a second time.

And that ending of the movie was just so predictable that you saw it coming a mile away.

My rating of "Inang" lands on a four out of ten stars.

There's nothing special in the movie. As I said in the title; it's just Drama with a few jumpscare here and there, and that's it.

Story is super predictable and really dumbed down hence making the unveiling of the mystery feels so lacking. It seems the director doesn't know how to "show not tell" while shooting this movie.

The horror aspect of this movie is that all of horror and scary things is so pointless, when it's all finished you kinda asking yourself "what was all the horror about?" It's brought nothing and it's awful to call this one as a horror movie.

One thing I liked about this movie is the pacing. The first 30 minutes of the movie is the prolog (which is nice) to horror movie that it will bring, but alas it never came. 4/10.

Not that I despise horror films about cults and myths, The Womb definitely had a convincing premise. A poor girl who is pregnant out of wedlock, struggling to meet ends, finds an old couple via a facebook group meet and trusts them enough to adopt her newborn. She will have to move in with them till the child is born but she starts having visions, that make her doubt the intentions of the elderly couple. Are they really as nice as they portray to be and if those visions are true, will she escape her fate, forms rest of the story.

The problem is not just the runtime but the tone of the movie which largely narrated in a slow pace. In addition, it is less of a horror film and more of a drama, the doesn't truly pay off. The initial few minutes succeed in establishing her plight as well as her financial struggles which justifies her decision to trust total strangers. But the second act is super slow. Once the important character that of the son is introduced, the film should've taken off but the writer and director falter in presenting this character.

From hereon, the film becomes extremely predictable. Though the reveal is actually good which again proves the premise was indeed an interesting one, it comes way too late to save the film.

Inang is an Indonesian horror film that dares to offer something different from most local horror titles. It combines the essence of Javanese myth and cultural tradition with a contemporary urban narrative that feels close to today's audience. One of the film's strongest points is its consistently dark and eerie atmosphere, created through solid cinematography and a lingering sense of mystery.

Naysila Mirdad, as the leading actress, delivers a convincing performance, capturing fear, pressure, and curiosity naturally. The supporting cast also breathes life into their roles, making the characters believable within the film's unsettling world. The cultural aspect of Javanese rituals becomes a unique strength as it's rarely explored in modern Indonesian horror.

However, the film isn't without flaws. Some parts of the pacing feel slow, causing the built-up tension to occasionally lose its grip. The horror elements rely more on ambiance and mystical symbolism rather than intense jumpscares or terrifying moments. While there are some twists, experienced horror fans might find them predictable.

Overall, Inang deserves appreciation for bravely blending local culture with a thriller concept, though there's room to sharpen its tension and deepen its narrative layers.