Having found himself unemployed due to the pandemic, freelance logistic driver Pak Ucup is feeling the pressure of providing for his family, idling away the days entertaining the family and children in his neighborhood. When the idea of a trip to the beach comes up, and payment for carrying a group to the shore, Ucup sneaks a group for a much-needed escape from the never-ending cycle of quarantine.
“The Secret Club of Sinners” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
At this point, the number of short films around the pandemic has made for a rather tedious affair when approaching such subject matter from a critical standpoint (regardless of their release date). However, this trepidation in revisiting the subject for the umpteenth time also makes the standouts on the ‘mini-genre' shine all the brighter when they are filled with substance among the oversaturated space. “The Secret Club of Sinners” from Haris Yuliyanto proves to have staying power by lingering in the moral gray of how people cope during tough times, while also having a strong visual presentation.
Consequently, the shortcaptures the sense of isolation brought on by restrictions. The spaces feel barren and the trip to the ocean for a swim marks a vacation among the backdrop of a closed society. To capture this, the cinematography of Bagas Kusdiantoro is intimate in keeping the focus on the cast without alluding to the great tragedy that frames their actions. If anything can be stated about the visual approach, it is that is intimate and focuses on the human element over the actual state the pandemic has caused.
This plays idyllically into the story that inhabits a space of moral ambiguity, as it is difficult to place any blame or greater judgment on any of the characters in the short. On one hand, the movie can be interpreted as a need to follow guidelines to ensure long time safety, but this would imply that any actions in the film were fundamentally flawed. Ucup's desire to provide for his family, along with a different family who has their own sufferings to bear, speaks to a need to move on and forward — one can only stay idle for so long.
The film presents an odd moral dilemma that fits well with the title “The Secret Club of Sinners”, a bond formed out of secrecy and desire to experience a semblance of normalcy. Their sin, essentially, comes down to wanting to experience life and provide safety for their family. This messaging in itself is easily the most alluring aspect of the production and how it supersedes the label of ‘pandemic cinema' by touching on base human emotions that last both before and beyond covid-19.
Admittedly, the time frame further pushes the difficulties in interpreting the message of the short, as late 2020 is certainly a point where expression would push more towards the idea of promoting “stay indoors”. Yet, the film also acts as a curious examination of pandemic movies and how our impression of them will change over time. Regardless, of one's own personal interpretation of messaging, “The Secret Club of Sinners” is one of the more engaging and humane shorts dealing with difficulties faced in the past two years across the world — well worth a watch.
