Impetigore

Wayang kulit, Indonesian traditional shadow puppetry, and dalang (puppeteers) are a central part of Impetigore.

Director and writer Joko Anwar described the film's concept as originating from a story his older brother had told him as a child; that the leather for Indonesian shadow puppets came from human skin. To form the concept for the film, he combined this with the idea of a strong but intimidating maternal character inspired by his own mother, and various Indonesian social and political issues.[6] On the inclusion of Indonesian folklore elements, Anwar said "It's not a choice, it comes naturally. I grew up reading and being told about this type of folklore all the time. It's even taught in schoolbooks in Indonesia".[7]

In 2011, a poster and Twitter account were made to promote the film, which was set to be produced by Lifelike Pictures, but the project was cancelled.[8][9][10] Anwar also said difficulties finding a filming location that matched the script and a lack of budget led to the project being shelved.[2] He later said he "kept fixing the story each year while at the same time also searching for the right partner to make this film".[11]

The project was revived seven years later, when Ivanhoe Pictures announced a three-film collaboration with Anwar which includes Impetigore, Ghost in the Cell, and The Vow.[12] The film was an international co-production between Indonesia's Rapi Films and BASE Entertainment, South Korea's CJ Entertainment and American company Ivanhoe Pictures.[1] CJ Entertainment had previously had major international success with Crazy Rich Asians (2018), and intended to increase their presence in Southeast Asia.[13] Anwar announced on Instagram that the film would be called Perempuan Tanah Jahanam on 31 December 2018.[14][15] In February 2019, Anwar announced the cast members, including frequent collaborators Tara Basro, Marissa Anita, Asmara Abigail, Ario Bayu, and Arswendi Nasution.[16][11] Christine Hakim's casting, announced at the same time, represented the first time she had appeared in a horror film in her 46-year career.[16]

Although the film is primarily in Indonesian, some older characters speak Javanese.[17]

Director and writer Joko Anwar contracted dengue fever on the first day of filming Impetigore.

Filming began in March 2019,[11] and was primarily shot on location in Banyuwangi, Lumajang and Ijen in East Java.[9] The film crew spent three months searching for a village that matched the location described in the script. The village chosen, which was established in 1941 for workers on Dutch plantations, was so remote that the crew had to construct a path for vehicles and equipment to reach it.[2] Anwar said that "due to the difficult terrain, the entire crew and cast members had to stay in the village throughout the filming. [Fortunately] the villagers warmly welcomed us, even cooked every day for us."[18] Many local villagers appear as extras in the film.[2]

Filming was expected to take 29 days, but experienced difficulties when Anwar contracted dengue fever on the first day and was hospitalised for 8 days. Anwar later reflected that he had almost died during the illness, and that the shoot was "probably the most adventurous time" of his life.[2] The film crew had to construct the village's first toilets themselves, as well as the house that was used for the main set. After filming, this infrastructure was left by the crew for use by village residents, with the house set converted into a public library with books provided by the crew.[2]

Sound mixing was conducted by the same team used by Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who won the 2010 Palme d'Or.[19] BASE Entertainment announced that production had wrapped by April 2019.[11] A teaser poster[18] and trailer were released in August 2019.[19] Titled Perumpuan Tanah Janah in Indonesia, the film's internationally marketed name Impetigore is a made-up word to name the disease suffered by the children in the film.[20]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 92% approval rating based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Impetigore uses its folk horror setting as the brutally effective backdrop for a supernatural story that sinks its hooks into the viewer and refuses to let go."[30]

In The Jakarta Post, Reyzando Nawara gave a positive review, commenting on the film's relevance to Indonesian society, saying it "makes a very compelling argument about the evils of abused power and the danger it presents" across multiple generations.[31] In Kompas, Mohammad Hilmi Faiq described the film as a new peak for Anwar.[32]

Some reviewers in American publications commented that Impetigore was not too scary as it instead put emphasis on Indonesian cultural elements.[33][5] Dennis Harvey wrote a positive review in Variety, praising the film's production design and sound, calling it a "handsome and atmospheric production" and "good, sometimes grisly fun that’s not terribly scary, particularly once hectic climactic events prove less suspenseful than the slow-burn buildup". Harvey critiqued the film's later acts, saying that the "convoluted later mix of chase scenes and explanatory flashbacks [feel] more like an awkward pileup of miscellaneous genre tropes".[1] On RogerEbert.com, Peter Sobczynski gave the film three and a half out of four stars, commending film's style and use of Indonesian folklore, but criticised the flashback sequence and epilogue. He particularly highlighted the film's opening sequence, calling it "electrifying" and "absolutely spellbinding".[5] In Screen Daily, Wendy Ide commended the film's atmosphere but critiqued its use of exposition, calling it "entertaining, pulpy horror, [that] focuses more on incorporating Indonesian cultural elements rather than delivering neatly packaged scares".[33] Jacob Stolworthy in The Independent called the film "a must-watch for fans of scary films".[34]

In a more mixed review, James Marsh in South China Morning Post rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and said the film was "unevenly paced and fails to capitalise on its grisly premise", but praised Basro's performance.[35] Marco Ferrarese in Al Jazeera highlighted Impetigore as part of a new wave of low-budget horror films bringing increased international attention to Southeast Asia's film industry, alongside Malaysian film Roh. Distributed internationally by streaming services, Ferrarese highlighted it as one of several recent horror films from the region that received critical acclaim and festival attention beyond their native countries.[7]

Impetigore received a record 17 nominations[36] and went on to be the biggest winner at the 2020 Indonesian Film Festival, the first for a horror film in the history of the Citra Awards. In accepting the award for Best Director, Anwar expressed his hope that the Indonesian film industry could raise its international profile, and said he believed that the COVID-19 pandemic had halted its progress when Indonesian film was "at its peak".[20] Anwar won his second Citra Award for Best Director, and Hakim won the third Best Supporting Actress and ninth award overall of her career.[37]

In November 2020, it was selected as the Indonesian official entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[38] When announcing the submission, Garin Nugroho, head of the Indonesian Academy Awards Selection Committee, cited the film's showcasing of Indonesian values and culture, as well as for its direction and script.[9] The film was also submitted to the Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Golden Globe Awards and was also not nominated.[17][39]