Dead Time: Kala (2007)

Director:

Joko Anwar

Writer:

Joko Anwar (writer)

Release Date:

19 April 2007 (Indonesia)

Genre:

Crime | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

A fantasy you'd wish never come true.

Plot:

A jaded cop. A narcoleptic journalist. A nation divided. A Fantasy you'd wish never come true.

Plot Keywords:

Secret | Journalist | Police Detective | Murder | Death

Cast

Fachry Albar	...	Janus
Ario Bayu	...	Eros
Fahrani	...	Ranti
Tipi Jabrik	...	Bandi
José Rizal Manua	...	Pindoro
August Melasz	...	Hendro Waluyo
Arswendi Nasution	...	Haryo Wibowo
Shanty	...	Sari
Sujiwo Tejo	...	Ronggoweni - old
Frans Tumbuan	...	Bambang Sutrisno

Also Known As:

Dead Time (International: English title) (working title)
Kala (Indonesia: Indonesian title) (short title)

Country:

Indonesia

Language:

Indonesian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Jakarta, Indonesia

Company:

MD Pictures

Brilliant if uneven: Dead is in!

Joko Anwar is a former film critic turned director by freakish fate. I have had the honour to see most of Joko Anwar's projects (be it as writer or director) and it must be said that he is one name to be remembered. As potentially one of the great director's of his generation. Even more so that with each movie he seems to break his own limits and go one step beyond... irrespective of budget restrictions.

Dead Time: Kala is a weird movie full of Tarantino type homages, but at the same time distinctly different and inventive. The film is essentially neonoir with a touch of horror and a sprinkle of... (as not to spoil anything I'll keep my mouth shut). Very nicely shot with a lot of class and some memorable scenes gives this movie a clear voice with which Anwar has attacked the unsuspected audiences at home, but also at international festivals. Acting is suitable, albeit there are some glitches here and there with no actor really raising the bar.

What's the movie about? A mystery story set in an alternate Indonesian reality. A tale of murder, violence and corruption with unnatural creepy crawlies hiding in the shadows. An honest policeman and a narcoleptic journalist find themselves entangled into a case of a bizarre murder of five people.

Special effects is definitely the weak point of the movie with some of them very iffy and unconvincing (especially the CGI). Some of the story-telling could use a bit of fine-tuning, but all in all Joko Anwar is someone who has a vision and more importantly knows how to mold it into a movie. However you can still see that the director is on a learning curve, but his newest movie "The Forbidden Door" shows how quickly he is learning his trade and very soon this will be the breakthrough director of Indonesia, widely renowned and highly regarded internationally with the likes of Chan-wook Park and Takashi Miike.