Joko Anwar's latest effort, “Nightmares and Daydreams” a 7-episode anthology of the horrific and the supernatural is currently streaming on Netflix. Considering that the episodes are separate entities, we decided to deal with each one in separate reviews, instead of a single one. “Old House”, co-directed by Ray Farandy Pakpahan and Randolph Zaini is the first and longest one.
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The episode begins with Banji, a poor taxi driver, leaving his senile mother into a rather luxurious elderly home, despite the pleas of a caretaker though, not to do so. Through a flashback, we learn that although neither he nor his wife wanted to abandon her there, after a life-threatening incident involving their infant, the decided to do so, also instigated by the fact that an acquaintance of Banji would allow them to let her leave in the particular establishment for free. However, that something is not going well becomes evident to Banji eventually, and he decides to investigate on his own. What he discovers is truly diabolical.
In a style that shares some similarities with “Satan's Slaves” and “Impetigore” Joko Anwar does not let much time pass before he establishes what the episode is all about, although the build up is still there and the ending definitely goes into a territory no one would imagine. Furthermore, the transition from something that begins as a family drama to a supernatural horror is rather smooth, with the placement of the flashback being ideal. In that regard, the editing, by Anwar and Dinda Amanda emerges as one of its best assets, also due to the rather fitting overall pace.
Check the interview with the director
However, upon the last part of the 1-hour long episode, the narrative moves into rather shocking territory, with the combination of the ritualistic presentation, the cult-like premises, the demons, and the whole purpose of the ‘home' definitely having an intense shock value. The change from sepia dominated coloring to intense reds works quite well, as do the costumes, with DP Ical Tanjung's cinematography capturing the whole thing with gusto. The SFX could have been a bit better, particularly in the presentation of the creatures, but as a whole, the part definitely works.
As is usually the case with modern horror, the scares are combined with intense social commentary. In this case, the global issue with the caretaking of the elderly is the central one, with Anwar implementing it in order to intensify the drama, with Yati Surachman in the role of the mother being impressive in that regard. Furthermore, the concepts of filial piety and motherly love are also present, with Anwar actually presenting two opposing perspectives regarding the latter, thus enriching the context of the episode.
Ario Bayu as Banji is excellent both in the dramatic and the horrific parts, with the fact that his acting is never excessive, despite the many ‘opportunities' to do so, and the way he acts with his eyes, being the best traits of an overall excellent performance.
Despite some cliches here and there, “Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams – Old House” evidently has a quality that points more towards a movie than a TV episode, both in terms of context and production values.
