The last episode of what seems to be the first season of “Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams” concludes the story in a way that everything that happened before makes sense, while retaining the very appealing sense of surprise that occurred in the previous segments. Joko Anwar, just like the first episode, “Old House” takes the seat of the director once more in “P.O. Box” closing the circle even in a meta level.
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The story this time revolves around Valdya, one of the best diamond appraisers in all of Jakarta, who is so good that she can even tell the quality of a diamond just with her eyes. Later on, we learn that her older sister, Dara, went missing some time ago, and that Rendy, the guy who used to date her, is now in a serious relationship with Valdya. Rendy is pushing for them to take the next step in their relationship but she is still reluctant, both due to his former relationship and the fact that they do not know what happened to Dara.
By chance, Valdya finds some info about her sister applying for a job having to do with P.O Box 888, in a rather shady endeavor she eventually decides to follow. What she discovers is truly horrifying, but what happens in the end is even worse, as all the stories in the series come together for a spectacular finale.
Apart from the aforementioned element, which concludes the season in the most fitting fashion, there are three elements that stand particularly out in “P.O. Box”. For starters, Asmara Abigail, who looks rather stunning throughout the segment, gives an impressive performance, with the focus in her eyes highlighting both her ability to act just through her gaze, and the excellent job done in the casting. The way she transforms from an ordinary girl, at least in terms of behavior, to a resolved and ready to face all dangers woman is one of the best aspects of the whole series actually.
The second element is the scene in the elevator. Anwar proved his prowess in such scenes in “Satan's Slaves 2: Communion” but this one is even better. The way he framing by DP Ical Tanjing works is impressive, particularly in the way he manages to highlight each of the actors in such a restricted space, but the way the protagonist stands out, and the combination of humor, social commentary and horror make this scene a true stand out in the whole series.
Check the interview with the protagonist
The same applies to the last sequence, which winks at “The Matrix's” aesthetics in terms of the way the action is presented, with the gore element, however, being at least as intense, again in one of the most impressive audiovisually scenes of the whole series. It is easy to say that the technical aspect of the series, including the cinematography, the editing by Dinda Amanda and Joko Anwar, the SFX and the production design find their apogee in this sequence, which concludes the first season in the best way, as is the case for the phrase Valdya utters just before the credits roll.
Although the context of “P.O. Box” is not as rich as in the previous episodes, with the focus being more centered on the story, the horror/sci fi aesthetics of the series meet their zenith here, resulting in the most impressive entry of “Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams” and a very satisfying finale that definitely hints at a second season.
