“Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly” (2008) was the Indonesian filmmaker Edwin‘s first feature film which was very well received and earned him several awards including the NETPAC Award at the Taipei Horse Film Festival; the Silver Montgolfiere at the Nantes Three Continents Festival and the FIPRESCI Prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. For his “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash” (2021) he won Best Director at the Indonesian 42nd Citra Awards and the Golden Leopard at the Switzerland Locarno Film Festival.
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“Borderless Fog”, original title “Kabut Berduri”, is Edwin’s latest crime thriller streaming on Netflix. The intense story takes place at the Indonesia-Malaysia border, in the thick and steaming rainforest of Borneo Island where the Dayaks, Malay and Chinese live. Back in the late 60s to the late 90s, both the Malaysian and Indonesian military worked side by side with the local community to fight against the Paraku communist forces. However, Ambong, one of their leaders, managed to escape into the jungle and lived as a ghost. Until now, the superstitious locals still believe that the ghost of Ambong is responsible for the haunting and violence at the border area.
One day, a body falls from a tree and lands on the roof of a small canteen. The decapitated body, based on its tattoos, belongs to Juwing, a local Dayak activist. But the severed head belongs to another man, Sergeant Thorig. Since the discovered body is closer to the Indonesian border, the Malaysian authority wants nothing to do with it. Assigned to solve the gruesome case in the big island is a young and capable female detective with a troubled past, Sanja Arunika (Putri Marino) from metropolitan Jakarta.
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The local police chief, Panca Nugruha (Lukman Sardi) does not seem to warm up to Sanja and always picks on her. Luckily, she gets support from officer Thomas (Yoga Pratama) who stands by her side and even protects her at times. As Sanja investigates further, it looks like a serial killer is at work, as more headless bodies start to turn up. Before long, she finds herself thrown into the world of human trafficking, police corruption and local superstition. Furthermore, her own traumatic past which happened back in Jakarta keeps on haunting her, thus making her investigation more complicated.
Visually stunning and full of amazing details, Edwin’s film is a thing of beauty. The fog-infested rainforest for example, while beautiful to look at, one gets the feeling that there is something sinister lurking behind the tall trees. Both the tropical heat and the humidity play important roles in creating the mood and tense atmosphere as well. But overall, it is a slow burn murder mystery, and the plot takes its time to come to fruition. However, one action scene involving Sanja chasing a suspect through a small border town really stands out. Adding a bit of local culture, the Dayak gong instrument soundtrack accompanying it is indeed a nice touch.
Another good thing about this film is the standout performance of the female lead, Patri Marino. She is rather believable as the city detective Sanja sent to solve the murder case in the jungle of Borneo. Spotting a short-cropped hair style and wearing prescription rose-coloured tinted glasses; Sanja shows that she is a tough individual who can take care of herself as seen from her encounters with the local police chief and others. Marino definitely has a strong presence on screen which makes her character authentic with great depth.
Yoga Pratama has a meaty role portraying the local detective Thomas who teams up with Sanja and they both have reasonably good chemistry on screen. In a role that is not that demanding but typical and predictable, Lukman Sardi plays the corrupted police chief Panca who gives Sanja a hard time. Yudi Ahmad Tajudin turns up as Bujang, a dark and intriguing local who runs a tiny canteen at the border. He strongly believes in Ambong, the ghost who lives in the thick jungle. Besides, Sanja suspects that he is the one responsible for all the chilling murders.
Overall, “Borderless Fog” works best as a slow burn drama and straight murder mystery with enough potential. The political tension between the Indonesian and the Malaysian officers at the border is interesting. But unfortunately it slowly runs out of steam towards the end probably due to its running time of almost two hours and too many characters. Nonetheless, the performance of Patri Marino and the film’s amazing visuals and locations make it an engaging watch.
