TRIGGER WARNING: The movie discussed here deals with with a theme of suicide. Reader discretion is advised.
Sometimes you can encounter a true cinematographic gem completely by accident. When I saw that there's a horror available during this year's Five Flavours Festival, I didn't hesitate to add it to my watchlist. I don't think it's very surprising, you all know how much I love horrors. And if you follow me on Twitter, then you probably know what I'm talking about and how watching it went.
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| That was probably the most appropriate way I could describe this film at the moment. |
"Death Knot" is Cornelio Sunny's debut as a director. Inspired by Indonesian native beliefs, it follows the story of Hari (Cornelio Sunny), his younger sister Eka (Widika Sidmore) and her husband, Adi (Morgan Oey), as they come back to siblings' home village after their mothers' sudden suicide. The situation is suspicious from the beginning, given the fact they both saw her in a dream the night before. The villagers also seem to be very hostile towards the family, accusing the mother of black magic and bringing death to the village. Are they right or is everything they say just some superstitions?
"Death Knot" may seem quite cliched, however, the fact the plot stems from Indonesian folk brings a lot of freshness to the concept. The movie builds the atmosphere of uneasiness on the fact the audience has no idea what's going on for most of the time. It doesn't hold back – the first scene we see is Hari and Eka's mother performing some ritual in the forest at night. It's dark, the soundtrack is loud and cacophonous, the woman is doing some sinister looking dance, which culminates in her climbing a tree and hanging herself. Whole sequence is overwhelming and, due to lack of explanation, extremely creepy. It also contrasts with following introduction of main characters – we see Hari texting his sister, while laying in bed in his house.
In general, for most of the time we observe the events unfold, but don't understand them. The fact main characters are similarly confused makes us identify with them and, as a result, immerse better in the story. Also the clash between supernatural occurrences and siblings' mundane reality amplifies the uneasiness. The contrast is especially visible in scenes with Hari, who's a down-to-earth atheist, trying to find an explanation that doesn't involve any magical forces.
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| As we can expect, he fails. Badly. |
Unlike most horrors, "Death Knot" doesn't have any jumpscares. Instead, it relies on slowly building the atmosphere by making us expect something scary to happen (often, nothing happens). Another fear inducing method it utilizes perfectly is uncanny valley. In later part, we often witness the characters behave weirdly: smile too wide, move in an erratic way, talk with unusual phrases. It hints at the fact there is something inhuman in control of them. However, the scare wouldn't be that effective if not great acting. In general, the movie puts a huge emphasis on actors and their performances. It also compensates for lack of any special effects.
The film has a rather somber tone. Not only the plot is dramatic. The colours are bleak and foggy, creating a gloomy atmosphere. It fits the main theme of the story – suicides – and the family drama that follows. And again, this tone wouldn't be achieved without believable
performance. I especially liked Widika Sidmore – she shines
in more emotional scenes. You can feel the strain that the difficult
situation has put on Eka and Hari's relations.
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| Nothing surprising, anyone would snap if they were treated with such hostility... |
"Death Knot" is very well paced, effectively alternating between the intense moments and more peaceful, "breather" ones. The exposition is also dosed in small parts, which prevents a sudden infodump and keeps the audience interested. The ending doesn't disappoint either – it's open, but still gives a satisfying conclusion to the plot. I also like the sudden tonal changes in the finale, especially the moment when Hari finally snaps. Cornelio Sunny's performance is great in this scene and it's hard not to pity him.
To be honest, "Death Knot" is one of the best horrors I've seen lately. It's atmospheric, well-made and just very interesting. I can definitely recommend it, especially to people, who like folk-themed horror and aren't keen on jumpscares.
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| It really is a hidden gem. |
Image sources:
All stills were screenshot by me from the official trailer and belong to Good Move Media.
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