Adam is an ex-police photographer who experienced a nervous breakdown and quit the force. Currently he suffers from hallucinations and spends his time in his apartment, secretly watching his neighbors with his camera, and particularly a woman, Iva. Eventually, detective Man, an ex co-worker asks Adam to help him in an investigation regarding a number of brutal murders. As they discover some photographic negatives made of glass, their research leads them into the world of antique shops and the supernatural. Iva, a deformed man named Belian, and an antique owner named Sani seem to be involved in the mystery. Everything seems to revolve around a true incident that took place a century ago, when Norwegian explorer Carl Lumholtz traveled through central Borneo between 1913 and 1917 and photographed some tribal women.
A delicate balance
Dain Said directs and pens (along June Tan, Nandita Solomon and Redza Minhat) a film that keeps a delicate balance among thriller, fantasy and noir. The pace is fast, and it initiates from the movie's intro and never actually slows down, in no-nonsense fashion. The case, however, is slowly revealed, retaining the agony and the questions almost until the end, and the supernatural element is introduced quite late in the film, despite the fact one could suspect that the story would eventually head towards the fantastic. Said's characters, in distinct noir fashion, fit the genre's archetypes. The protagonist who does not know why he is involved in the case, the cop willing to break the law, the smooth villain, the love object and the mysterious female are all present and give the film a distinct noir essence.
Some ironic clichés
The script has some clichés, starting with the fact that the main couple's names are Adam and Iva, and continuing with various parts of the story. However, even those fit the general, noir aesthetics of the film, and are actually ironic, since the film deals with tribal beliefs and the names refer to Christian religion.
Fitting acting
The cast does a very good job of presenting each character in a way that fits the film's general aesthetics. Iedil Putra as Adam manages to portray a man constantly in distress, lost among powers that overwhelm him. Shaheizy Sam is very entertaining as Detective Man, an occasionally obnoxious individual willing to go to extremes to achieve his goal. Nicholas Saputra, as Belian, does not speak much, but remains cool, smooth, and always looking dangerous. Prisia Nasution plays the love object to perfection, starting as flirty and with a clear purpose of leading Adam, before she transforms into a fragile, desperate woman. Nadiya Nisaa as Sani is great as the pretentious and sure of herself woman.
Impressively shot
Said retains a dark and ominous atmosphere, throughout the film. In that aspect, Jordan Chian's cinematography is a perfect fit, as it presents the night of urban Malaysia. The day shots are also good, but the ones during the dark are definitely the ones that stand out. There are also some very interesting frames, particularly the ones focusing on someone through Adam's camera. Hemran K. Panca's editing keeps the story flowing. Luca Kuncevic's music elaborately accompanies each scene, with sounds mostly coming from the violin and the contrabass. The agonizing scenes benefit the most from the prowess in that department. The special effects are also quite good, and exemplified in the very impressive ritual scenes.
“Interchange” is a very entertaining film that stands out due to its direction, cast, and production values. Noir fans are bound to love it.
“Interchange” is part of the Five Flavours Film Festival that is on in Warsaw (November 16 – 23) and Wroclaw (November 18-24).
