The Forbidden Door (2009)
August 8, 2024 9:09 AM - Subscribe
[TRAILER] The life of a successful sculptor is turned upside down when he begins receiving mysterious messages from someone who asks for his help. A viscerally intense noir thriller/horror film from Indonesian auteur Joko Anwar.
Starring Fachri Albar, Marsha Timothy, Ario Bayu, Otto Djauhari, Arswendi Nasution.
Indonesian title: Pintu Terlarang.
Written and directed by Joko Anwar. Based on Pintu Terlarang by Sekar Ayu Asmara's novel. Produced by Sheila Timothy for Lifelike Pictures. Cinematography by Ipung Rachmat Syaiful. Edited by Wawan I. Wibowo. Music by Aghi Narottama, Bembi Gusti, Gascoro Ramondo, Zeke Khaseli.
Currently streaming in the US on Tubi. JustWatch listing.
Starring Fachri Albar, Marsha Timothy, Ario Bayu, Otto Djauhari, Arswendi Nasution.
Indonesian title: Pintu Terlarang.
Written and directed by Joko Anwar. Based on Pintu Terlarang by Sekar Ayu Asmara's novel. Produced by Sheila Timothy for Lifelike Pictures. Cinematography by Ipung Rachmat Syaiful. Edited by Wawan I. Wibowo. Music by Aghi Narottama, Bembi Gusti, Gascoro Ramondo, Zeke Khaseli.
Currently streaming in the US on Tubi. JustWatch listing.
Arswendi Nasution's performance as "Guy in Abortion Clinic" is an all-time creeper of a tiny role.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:21 AM on August 8
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:21 AM on August 8
Okay, I am not hiding this because it is a spoiler (this is a discussion page for the film! spoilers are more than fair) but because it is legitimately upsetting. This still only takes you through the first half hour, btw.
But here is the thing to warn you about this movie:
This is about a sculptor named Gambir. He gets his girlfriend Talyda an abortion. She regrets it and has him encase the dead fetus into the belly of a sculpture made from the life cast of a pregnant woman so that it will be "with them." People do not know about this, but somehow this changes the reception the work receives. It is a big hit. Gambir makes a deal with the abortion clinic for a steady supply of dead fetuses, which he also encases in sculptures of pregnant women, which sell like hotcakes.
More bad shit happens after this, but this gives you an idea of the level of trauma at work here. This film gets to most of the list of triggers. I will say that if you watch to the end, it makes more sense.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:12 AM on August 8 [2 favorites]
But here is the thing to warn you about this movie:
Why this is upsetting...
This is about a sculptor named Gambir. He gets his girlfriend Talyda an abortion. She regrets it and has him encase the dead fetus into the belly of a sculpture made from the life cast of a pregnant woman so that it will be "with them." People do not know about this, but somehow this changes the reception the work receives. It is a big hit. Gambir makes a deal with the abortion clinic for a steady supply of dead fetuses, which he also encases in sculptures of pregnant women, which sell like hotcakes.
More bad shit happens after this, but this gives you an idea of the level of trauma at work here. This film gets to most of the list of triggers. I will say that if you watch to the end, it makes more sense.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:12 AM on August 8 [2 favorites]
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A huge, huge trigger warning for pregnancy/abortion/trauma/child peril/abuse content. HUGE. This gets real, real fucking dark.
The more urban settings and the lower budget take some of his best tools away visually and the movie looks ordinary in places, particularly the earlier scenes. He ends up pulling off some great visuals, but the limits on what he could work with are immediately apparent.
But again: DARK.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:13 AM on August 8 [1 favorite]