Marlina – Die Mörderin in vier Akten

A film by Mouly Surya. In indo­ne­si­an with ger­man subtitles.

A young widow vio­lent­ly turns the tables on her would-be atta­ckers, in this powerful, pro­vo­ca­ti­ve, and visual­ly stun­ning Indonesian take on the „femi­nist wes­tern” genre.

Powerful, pro­vo­ca­ti­ve, and visual­ly stun­ning, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is a lumi­nous new ent­ry in the femi­nist wes­tern sub­gen­re. Mouly Surya’s accom­plished third fea­ture is one of a kind: a con­tem­po­ra­ry rewor­king of the spa­ghet­ti wes­tern and smould­e­ring reven­ge movie that is deep­ly roo­ted in the cul­tu­ral and geo­po­li­ti­cal land­scapes of Indonesia.

Marlina (Marsha Timothy) is a young widow, living alo­ne in a remo­te farm­house with the embal­med corp­se of her decea­sed hus­band. When rob­bers arri­ve, entit­led by cen­tu­ries of male domi­na­ti­on, to ste­al her live­stock, sei­ze her pos­ses­si­ons, and rape her, Marlina has only her cou­ra­ge and intel­li­gence to rely on. She thinks fast and acts even fas­ter. The next day finds her on the road, hit­ching a ride to town with a sever­ed head in one hand and a sab­re in the other.

A tale of repos­s­es­sed strength and per­so­nal iden­ti­ty, the film fea­tures a com­pel­ling prot­ago­nist and intro­du­ces a gal­lery of other sple­ndid fema­le cha­rac­ters, espe­ci­al­ly „10-months” pregnant Novi (Dea Panendra).

Surya builds ten­si­on with an assu­red mise en scè­ne then dis­si­pa­tes it with bubbly bursts of cau­st­ic humour, play­ing with ove­r­used cine­ma­tic lan­guages to find a genui­ne new style. Witty and sub­ver­si­ve, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is a bold and wel­co­me affront to the staid sen­si­bi­li­ties of male-cent­red cine­ma culture.

GIOVANNA FULVI


 
Credits:
Indonesien 2017, 94 Min., indo­ne­si­sche OmU
Regie: Mouly Surya
Buch: Mouly Surya, Rama Adi
Kamera: Yunus Pasolang
Schnitt: Kikiwini Matusola

mit: Marsha Timothy, Dea Panendra, Yoga Pratama, Rita Matu Mona
 
Termine:

  • noch kei­ne / oder kei­ne mehr 

 

Marlina – Die Mörderin in vier Akten // Trailer // Kinostart 18. Januar 2018