★ 6 / 10
I've not had much to do with Indonesian
MovieGuys
I've not had much to do with Indonesian cinema, so I thought I'd give Borderless Fog, a go. This film is a mixed bag. I had a mate who lived in Indonesia for a…
I've not had much to do with Indonesian cinema, so I thought I'd give Borderless Fog, a go.
This film is a mixed bag. I had a mate who lived in Indonesia for a time and he described it as one of the most dangerous places, he'd ever been. The notion, therefore, of a single woman or even man, for that matter, turning up from the city in rural Indonesia, to track down a serial killer, who chops off people's heads in the jungle, seems far fetched. The key characters credibility, is not helped by the fact that she's dresses like an extra from Miami Vice, whilst wandering through creepy jungle, unaccompanied, with limited visibility.
On the upside the characters, even our Miami Vice extra, grow on you over time. They are thankfully, not your usual cardboard cut outs. I liked, too the general vibe of unsettling, often unseen dread, inherent in the jungle setting and the unusual but disturbing nature of the crimes themselves.
In summary, a reasonable if not exceptional crime thriller from Indonesia. It ends better than it starts, so you do need to exercise a little patience with this one. Suffice to say, worth a look.
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★ 6 / 10
I am Indonesian and I want to comment on this film
MichaelOhio
First of all, I am happy that there is an Indonesian film that raises this genre when the Indonesian film industry is filled with very boring local horror…
First of all, I am happy that there is an Indonesian film that raises this genre when the Indonesian film industry is filled with very boring local horror films.The story premise of this film would be great if it were executed more maturely.There are still many shortcomings in this film, such as the character development which is too focused on Sanja compared to the other two characters who I think are equally important, namely Thomas and Silas.For the cinematography and music scoring of this film, I think it can still be improved to be more mature and also the camera angle is too monotonous and there is nothing special.Putri Marino's acting is quite good, but there's nothing special about it. Silas is a character that I feel if more character development was added to him he would be a cool guy here but it's a shame that it was wasted.For all this film is quite good in the Indonesian film industry and I hope it can be a pioneer for Indonesian producers and directors in the future.
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★ 6 / 10
Okay for the most part
gabriel_sanchez
Borderless Fog is one of those movies that come and go. Though solid on some aspects, its convoluted story might miss the mark on delivering a compelling…
Borderless Fog is one of those movies that come and go. Though solid on some aspects, its convoluted story might miss the mark on delivering a compelling experience. Enjoyable if you like Cinema from less-than-mainstream venues, but average at most.
The premise of this story is interesting and worth exploring. A newly assigned woman detective is investigating a murder that happened at the border between Indonesia and Malaysia, in the Island of Brunei. The story promises Political conflicts, corruption, conspiracy, and mystery, thus captivating the audience.
Another nice element is the culture-heavy setting, which adds a drama element to the story. Seeing Indonesia-Malaysia, and Brunei, through the lens of the story adds an interesting backgorund to the whole plot.
The execution, though, is a mix-bag. As the story progresses, we see that most of the investigation elements are interrogations - accurate with how overall investigations go, and, in Brunei, maybe that's the extent of their Forensics, - but overall progression is a bit off. A few plot events happen by chance, which move the "investigation" further, but the story lacks that intelligent thinking the audience would want from the detectives.
That culminates in a complicated storyline, one that could force you to either read online what happened or, as a warning here, pay close attention to the dialogue - as one should. It is easy to miss important expository information, and, by the end, feel cheated. The ending, however, does leave things too unresolved, the ending scene perhaps a critical hint at how things work there.
Sanja, the main character, ends up with a flat development arc. Acceptable but unexplored potential. Putri Marino's acting, on the other hand, is quite alright.
Overall, Borderless Fog delivers a mixed crime and mystery experience through a convoluted plot arc. If you get it from the start, the movie gets a shiny star - if not, and you have the time to read through some blogs, adding to the payoff understanding, you should understand what this review entails: intelligent plot arc through a complicated execution. In the end, though it is an interesting story, it missed the point of what it tried to preach.
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5.3/10
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