Program Note
Rini looks after her mother, an ex-pop idol who’s been on her deathbed for 3 years, as well as her younger brothers and a grandmother. Upon mother’s passing, her father disappears, leaving Rini in charge of the family in a house by the cemetery. When her mom arises from the dead for the kids, the long-kept secrets of family’s dark past are finally revealed. Satan’s Slaves is a remake of 1980 classic and Joko Anwar pays homage to it brilliantly. He keeps the same time period to convey the film’s key concept of multi-generation family, while his subtle uses of classic Indo-pop on vinyl and shadows enhance its perfectly eerie mood. An apocalyptic end with an onslaught of ghosts, zombies and cultists is where Mr. Anwar really shines, as he handles it convincingly as a throwback to 70s-80s low-budget films. A top-grossing Indonesian film of 2017, the film will finally put him as one of great genre maestro of our time. (Jongsuk Thomas NAM)