A freelance editor struggling to stay out of debt, finds an easy days work shooting in a remote area. The shoot goes out without a hitch, but when reviewing the footage later, the editor notices a dead body lying underneath the bushes in the area that he filmed. The young man begins to be haunted by ghostly visions as he contemplates how to proceed with the information he came across.
Director Adam Taufiq Suharto has shown a willingness to dabble in various genres, while still keeping in his own unique artistic vision. The tying factor seems to come with an element of fantasy or surrealism which gives the perception of fantasy. His previous film “Belas” tackled social issues while celebrating female divinity, while “Balah Tuah” was a comedic tale. Both of the aforementioned productions, although vastly different in their narrative, are notably the work of Suharto in its stylistic approach to the subject matter. With “Gelora”, Suharto approaches the horror genre with his signature artistry to create a unique macabre experience.
The production successfully establishes a strong and memorable narrative within the short run time. With the introduction to the editor asleep at his computer and notes of outstanding debts pinned to the wall, there is an instant sense of hardship. The sense of desperation transitions wonderfully into the second where the footage of a dead body in the bushes is discovered. The man's reaction, and subsequent nightmares is when the production transitions into horror, and important to the genre, conjures memorable and haunting imagery. However, the most impacting moral conundrum comes from the editors' choice of what to do with the information, which to avoid spoilers will be avoided here. Overall, the short film further establishes Suharto as a masterful storyteller within the format.
“Gelora” offers up some strong visuals, particularly within the nightmare sequence. The choice to use this pallet, seems geared towards this single sequence as people either dream in black and white or don't recall colours, with a greater focus on the visceral reaction of nightmares. The scene where the editor finds the body is also well presented, as a fan of found footage horror films, the blurred image of something horrific creates a more memorable impression as the mind tries to rationalize what exactly it is seeing. The one downfall of filming in black and white is that interior shots are a bit too dark to get full detail and have a more muddied aesthetic in comparison. In spite of the slight inconsistency in quality, the visuals are really strong and pronounced through the exemplary cinematography of Suharto.
“Gelora” is a near perfect short film, particularly for fans of atmospheric horror (like myself). I really adored this production, and each project of Adam Suharto shows him thriving within different concepts and genres. Undoubtedly, Suharto is a unique talent within the realm of short film, and his work begs to be explored by fans of the genre.
