A mix of fiction and ethno-doc, this portrait of life on Indonesia is doesn’t quite reach the soulfulness of its models Apichatpong Weerasethakul or Lav Diaz
Featuring non-professional actors from the Indonesian island of Java, this beguiling – and occasionally muddled – debut from the Spanish director Álvaro Gurrea treads the line between fiction and ethnographic documentary. Suddenly abandoned by his wife Olive, Yono (Yono Aris Munandar), a sulphur miner at the Kawah Ijen volcano, struggles to win back his beloved. His efforts range from the spiritual to the capitalist: the forlorn husband is willing to dabble in shamanic spells as well as cryptocurrency.
Moments of beauty quietly emanate from the film’s penchant for static compositions. Engulfed in billowy clouds of hazardous sulphur fumes, Kawah Ijen is at once majestic and terrifying. As the camera often keeps its distance from the characters, the islanders are at times rendered simply as...
Featuring non-professional actors from the Indonesian island of Java, this beguiling – and occasionally muddled – debut from the Spanish director Álvaro Gurrea treads the line between fiction and ethnographic documentary. Suddenly abandoned by his wife Olive, Yono (Yono Aris Munandar), a sulphur miner at the Kawah Ijen volcano, struggles to win back his beloved. His efforts range from the spiritual to the capitalist: the forlorn husband is willing to dabble in shamanic spells as well as cryptocurrency.
Moments of beauty quietly emanate from the film’s penchant for static compositions. Engulfed in billowy clouds of hazardous sulphur fumes, Kawah Ijen is at once majestic and terrifying. As the camera often keeps its distance from the characters, the islanders are at times rendered simply as...
- 10/10/2022
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.