Badarawuhi di Desa Penari

This is an Indonasian movie and I must say its a very good movie.

I just started watching this movie without knowing much around its baseline or origin country. But as I started watching it catches me.

I liked the theme and direction. Later I searched and find this is based on true story told/experienced by some students of or around same village. I also found this movie is prequel of "KKN di Desa Penari".

Now I will watch that movie as well.

Acting: very good by the central character and good by other supporting characters Direction: really very good

I was not expecting much from this movie but I must say this is a good movie.

Main character was so Beautiful but so cruel also, the story line was very detail in this prequel. Makes the audience more familiar with its origins. The timeline is different from the Dancer Village KKN. This time it is set in the 1980s. Where a dancer outwits Badarawuhi, making Nyai very angry.

With different actors and characters from the sequel, this film is fresh and interesting, although some scenes are somewhat similar to the sequel, they don't make you bored and are still fun to watch even with a duration of 122 minutes. At first glance it looks like a repetition but is described in more detail. Moreover, it is supported by the acting of the players, all of whom are good and really get into their characters. A little funny touch from Iqbal Sulaiman creates an ice breaker amidst the horrors of the Badarawuhi terror.

Some of the jumscares are quite surprising. Not only does it show many tense scenes. The emotional drama between mother and child was very touching

Be careful if you have a phobia of snakes, prepare yourself mentally to watch this film.

It's been a while I have written a review on here, since I do that on my own website. But this time I had to.

People have been calling this gripping and spine-chilling. There isn't a single event in this film that even came close to this. Director Kimo Stamboel is capable of building up tension and dread. Only in this film, this replaced with empty symbolism and boredom. Badarawuhi, a snake demon, clearly is intended to be scary and intimidating. She might be the latter because of her portrayal by Aulia Sarah. She tries her hardest. If only this was backed up by terror.

There is hardly any terror. The few events that are supposed to signify this are laughable at best. Sure, there are some gross and gory scenes, but they hardly have any effect. Then the finale is like one big joke. I think I was supposed to be creeped out by the menacing dancers. I mean, it could have been done, had these dances been backed up elements that actually made these dances unique and terrifying. But this is not the case one bit. It felt like a rip-off from Suspiria (2018) which also was a joke.

But the absolute part that made me lose interest quite fast is the pacing. There is very little story and substance in the first place. Maybe enough for a 5-minute short. But this is stretched out over 2 hours. You can imagine how slow this feels.

Overall, this is far from the opposite what the majority of the reviewers have been claiming. And don't get me wrong. I wished what they said was true. But to have me sit through this and make me waste my time in this fashion I find criminal. So yeah, don't believe the high rating, this is terrible!

This movie unintentionally gives off a very strong sapphic vibe that is impossible to ignore. The way the characters interact, the dialogues they exchange, and the overall atmosphere of the film all hint at deeper feelings between the leads, Mila and Badarawuhi. The conversations between them often feel charged, as if every word is carefully chosen to hide more than it reveals. There are subtle glances and lingering looks that build a quiet tension, which keeps viewers guessing about what's really going on beneath the surface. Sometimes, I find myself feeling genuinely excited whenever they share a scene, even if I can't exactly explain why. It's that electric feeling of two characters sharing a connection that feels more than just friendship. Their relationship dynamic is complex, layered with unspoken emotions that add depth to the story. You can see it in how they interact-how Mila seems both hesitant and drawn to Badarawuhi, while Badarawuhi appears aware of the tension but doesn't quite address it. This chemistry is what makes the movie stand out for me, even with its flaws. It's the main reason I keep watching it and why I genuinely enjoy the film.

For fans of LGBTQ stories, this film offers a lot of what they enjoy. The subtle hints, the emotional tension, and the powerful performances speak directly to those who love seeing romantic or intimate themes portrayed on screen. If you're someone who appreciates stories about first love, hidden feelings, or characters navigating moments of closeness and distance, you will find this movie captivating. I believe it has a natural appeal for an audience that values queer representation, even if it's not explicitly labeled as a "LGBT film." The layers of tension suggest a deeper story that many viewers with an interest in queer themes will absolutely love. It's a movie that, even without explicit focus on sexuality, radiates a strong vibe that makes it clear these characters share a more meaningful connection.

A group of teenager visit to remote village, desperately need help to recover their mother from mysterious disease, but they never know the danger and threat await.

Ok, then. The village folklore is going on, and I knew it from the start that this movie is not meant to be so fearsome, like have a bunch of jumspcare and terror, because this movie is just showing and approaching to realistically enough exactly in threads or real life. Even though I hoping more dreadful story to adapt in the movie, and this story was, sorry to say isn't intens enough for me, because it's not about a ghost or monsters, it's about my sympathy for the victim, and yes this movie is not so horror, but more like drama or folklore and urban legend. And I belive so many of those poor viewer got disappointed from promising horror genre.

The aesthetic view of nature, village and the mountain, absolutely eye catching and stunning. Not to mention the big name producers handle the cinematography so well done, covers up the lack of the horror action, and yeah thats all I get, such the scary side of the dense forest in the beauty of the scenery, thats it and nothing more. For me it's just okay, but need more punch. Yet this still better story to adapt for me, and all those spectacular actors they were absolutely killing it. Once again a better quality, advance from many years before.