The cinema of ASEAN countries, as in the case of Indonesia, Malaysia etc, is actually filled with romantic comedies and horror movies that very rarely reach beyond their borders. During the latest years, however, the need for context by the big streamers has brought a number of them to the fore, with Netflix paving the way. “Qorin” belongs to the second category.
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The story takes place at the Rodiatul Jannah boarding school, an Islamic girls-only facility. Zahra, a third year student, is a model student, always obeying the orders of Ustad Jaelani, the all powerful principal, who also happens to be married to the daughter of the founder of the school. Recently, however, Zahra has been having nightmares about the presence of a Djinn, while the appearance of a troublesome girl who has been sent for some sort of reformation in the school and is placed under her care, puts even more pressure on her. The girl is named Yolanda, and stands out like a sore thumb in the facility, starting with her red-highlighted hair and continuing with her overall nonconformist behavior.
The appearance of a girl that seems to be demonized during a class is the first indication that something horrible and supernatural is taking place in the academy, but the true problems begin when Ustad asks the students to perform a ritual of summoning Qorin, a djinn. Soon, the girls begin to be haunted by the figure of a being that looks exactly like them, as violence and death take over the school.
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Ginanti Rona directs a genuine horror film that thrives on the way it creates an atmosphere of horror, particularly through the production values and the whole ritualistic element that dominates all its aspects. Starting with the appearance of the girls, with the identical white attire, and the way the ones that are to stand out each time are dressed differently, and continuing with the overall setting, that seems to exist outside of the modern world, Rona creates a space that any kind of supernatural horror can easily creep in. Arfian's cinematography captures all the above, and the horrible events that take place later on with artistry, with his framing adding to the claustrophobic sense the setting emits. The sound and the editing by Wawan I. Wibowo result in a number of impactful jump cuts, while the SFX are of particularly high quality, with the depiction of the monsters being quite fitting to the horror aesthetics of the title.
The ritualistic aspect is highlighted by the fact that religion and superstition seem to co-exist, thus adding a base to the narrative here, which is concluded by the despicable behavior of Ustad, whose demon-summoning seems to be just the first in a series of actions that can only be described as exploitative and brutal. Omar Daniel is quite convincing in the role of the chaotic evil man, in a performance that is essentially the one that anchors the movie. These two elements are also the ones that result in the main comment of the movie, regarding the way religion can be exploited by the people (men actually) of authority.
At the same time, though, after a point, Rona gradually begins to lose control of the narrative, with the many side stories being excessive, as is the case with the melodrama that eventually takes over the performances. Furthermore, the cries and shouting of the girls, which become almost constant after a point, end up being annoying, while the various messages are also blurred through the ending, which could have been a bit better presented.
As such, “Qorin” emerges as a movie that will appear to fans of religious horror, but in the end fails to become anything more, remaining a flick, maybe with the exception of the quality of the visuals..
