MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS

Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts

Year 2017
Runtime 90 mins
Language Indonesian
Subtitles English

A feast for the senses, MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS is a creative extension of the Spaghetti Western sub-genre. In fact, since the film is deeply rooted in its Indonesian settings, from the rugged locales of Sumba island to the cultural details, it can be called the world’s first “Satay Western”, a term coined by Maggie Lee of Variety.

In a remote hilly part of Indonesia, Marlina (Marsha Timothy) is grieving her husband’s death. His body is still in the corner when a gang enters her house. The gang leader, Markus (Egi Fedly), mentions that he expects Marlina to be at the service of his group of seven men, that she should give up her cattle and cook for the men. Markus expects a quiet woman who will submit to their ways. Little does Markus know that Marlina has no intention of playing along.

Divided in four parts, the film outlines Marlina’s journey across the stunning Indonesian countryside, a land where the threat comes from the real (gangs, corrupted law officials) and the dead who occasionally wander around. Yunus Pasolang’s camera captures the Indonesian island in all its wide-screen glory, while Zeke Khaseli and Yudhi Arfani’s lively score pays a tribute to Ennio Morricone’s famous Spaghetti film soundtracks. The end result is a refreshingly bold film that flips the conventional perspective of a Spaghetti Western.

Countries

Indonesia
Festivals
Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival, New Horizons Film Festival, Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival
Director
Mouly Surya
Producer
Rama Adi, Fauzan Zidni
Screenwriter
Mouly Surya, Garin Nugroho, Rama Adi
Cinematographer
Yunus Pasolang
Editor
Kelvin Nugroho
Music
Yudhi Arfani, Zeke Khaseli
Cast
Marsha Timothy, Dea Panendra, Egi Fedly, Yoga Pratama