23/07/2025

LYFE WEDNESDAY | JULY 23, 2025

25

Monsters borne of fearful society o Film about child

possession has biting layer of commentary

MOVIE REVIEW

Ű BY YASMIN ZULRAEZ

T HE feature debut from Indonesian director Jeropoint, Jalan Pulang, wastes no time letting viewers know that something is seriously wrong. From the get-go, there is dread in the air and it is not just the fog machines. The death of a husband and the sudden illness of a child are already enough for one horror film, but Jeropoint goes all in. Because this is not your usual “my kid is sick” story, this is “my kid is possibly possessed and is doing absolutely horrifying things” no child should ever be doing. There is no slow-burn waiting game here. Arum, played with unsettling precision by Saskia Chadwick, is a menace in pigtails. Her unholy episodes are the stuff of pure nightmare fuel, laced with physicality and unpredictability that keep everyone on edge. Whether it is the flickering eyes, bizarre convulsions or just the way she stands in a room, she is the thunder before the storm. So no, it is not boring horror. The only thing slow about the film is how long it takes before everything finally clicks into place emotionally and thematically. Everything comes together There is a specific moment just past the hour mark where Jalan Pulang shifts. Not in tone (because it has been creepy since minute one), but in meaning. Suddenly, all the strange rituals, tense glances and spiritual detours begin to make sense. The story finally lays its cards on the table and when it does, it is not just good, it is tragically brilliant. That is when the cinematography by Mandela Majid really starts to shine too. Java’s sprawling landscapes turn claustrophobic, traditional rituals look alien and the line between myth and metaphor becomes harder to define. Luna Maya (as the emotionally fraying mother Lastini) delivers her most powerful work here, channeling a mix of love, guilt and desperate hope that anchors the madness around her. e d p s e he he

Arum (Saskia) is overtaken by a force beyond comprehension.

spooky woods, done. But it does not. The story spirals deeper, revealing layers of trauma, vengeance and generational pain. There are shamans, ancestral spirits and cryptic visions but the real evil is not always supernatural. There is revenge bubbling beneath the surface, a slow-boiling rage that ties into the film’s central theme: what happens when the people meant to protect end up being the ones who judge, isolate or betray? And yes, along the way, Arum continues to do things that no child should ever do outside of an exorcism scene. So, maybe do not bring snacks. Jalan Pulang is an emotionally heavy, culturally dense and at times downright scary watch. But it is also deeply tragic, the kind of film that lingers. Watching it with someone makes it easier to unpack all that pain, all those metaphors and all the questionable spiritual detours. Plus, it helps to have someone nearby when Arum starts levitating. devastating Jalan Pulang is more than just a creepy-kid horror flick. It is a cautionary tale about what happens when fear overrides empathy. The film may begin with the death of a man and the possession of a child, but its real horror lies in society’s cruelty toward those who do not conform and the irreversible consequences of looking away. Cultural horror meets real-world pain and by the end, what lingers is not the demon but the damage. spo The lay gen sh cry alw be ra th p b o A Disturbing, thoughtful and

Real horror Underneath the demonic theatrics, the film quietly tells a much sadder story, one that hits harder once the reveal arrives. Arum is not just cursed. She is treated like a curse by others. The people around her are quicker to blame than to understand and her increasingly disturbing behaviour becomes a symbol of how society deals with those who are different, especially disabled or neurodivergent children. There is a biting layer of commentary here. Arum is isolated, misread and eventually scapegoated. Her condition becomes a magnet for suspicion, leading to decisions rooted in fear rather than care. The tragedy is not just what happens to Arum, it is what was allowed to happen because no one bothered to see her as more than a problem to be fixed or feared. It is a gut punch disguised as a ghost story. The film is a supernatural journey rooted in tragedy, folklore and motherly love.

(From left) Arum and her mother Lastini (Luna) share tenderness amid the chaos.

(From left) Lia, Rama and Lastini try to find help before time runs out.

Some

seriously

disturbing

moments Jalan Pulang could have taken the easy route: creepy kid, jump scares,

0 Cast: Luna Maya, Shareefa Daanish, Saskia Chadwick, Taskya Namya, T. Rifnu Wikana 0 Director: JeroPoint E-VALUE 6 ACTING 6 PLOT 6

Marsinah holds secrets that could change everything. – ALL PICS FROM IMDB

A harrowing ritual to cleanse Arum brings the family face to face with ancestral forces.