Horror Film Tells About Friendship Between Humans and Ghosts
Jakarta. After the success of the film "Badoet" ("Clown") in 2015, director Awi Suryadi is back with another high-end horror in "Danur: I Can See Ghosts."
Adopted from Risa Saraswati's eponymous bestselling novel in 2011, Danur is a reflection of her own experience when she first encountered the astral world.
The story follows little Risa (Prilly Latuconsina), whose father works overseas and whose mother takes care of her sick grandmother in hospital, which results in the girl frequently being left alone in her grandmother's big house.
The story then continues to her eighth birthday when she wishes for a friend. As soon as she blows out the candle on her birthday cake, she finds her wish fulfilled. That night, Risa meets not only one "friend," but three: Peter, William and Janshen.
Noticing that Risa often talks and laughs by herself, Risa's mother (Kinaryosih) seeks help from Abah Asep (Jose Rizal Manua), a notorious psychic who lives in the area.
One night, Risa's mother and Abah Asep go to Risa's bedroom to close her "inner eye" and after that, she never meets her three friends again.
Nine years later, a grown-up Risa returns to her grandmother's house, where one incident reunites her with the three "friends" she has not seen since her childhood. And this where the story unfolds.
The title "Danur" refers to a fishy smelling liquid that emanates from a corpse. Author Risa said she decided on the title because it reminded her of her "friends."
"It's just the smell that comes with them. When I first met them, I could really smell a strong fishy odor but now that I get used to it, I don't really smell it anymore. 'Danur' is a unique title and it's in the KBBI [Indonesian dictionary], so why not?"
Risa added that the book and the film are form of appreciation for her "friends."
"With this movie, I would like to share my stories about me and my 'friends,' because I think not many people have this kind of relationship. As you watch the movie, you'll know why they meant so much for me," she said.
Film producer Dian Sasmita Faisal said "Danur" is not only a story about ghosts, but that it is also about true friendship.
"'Danur' is the first Indonesian horror movie where the ghosts are not portrayed as malignant entities," Dian told the media during a prescreening at XXI Metropole in Central Jakarta on Monday (27/03).
To learn more about the friendship between Risa and her three "friends," actress Prilly Latuconsina went all out to try to open her "inner eye."
"As an actress, I have to learn to cooperate with other characters I play with, but in this case, they aren't human. So, the only way to interact and learn about the character is to open my 'inner eye.'"
"Danur: I Can See Ghosts" is produced by MD Entertainment and Pichouse Films. The film features actress and model Shareefa Daanish, Kinaryosih, Indra Brotolaras, Prilly Latuconsina, and Inggrid Widjanarko.
"Danur" will start showing in Indonesian cinemas on Thursday.
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