The Hole is an intriguing genre mash-up

Courtesy of EST Media

Writer/director Hanung Bramantyo's The Hole is a mish mash of genres. It's one part thriller with similarities to Seven, and it also feels like a classic ghost story similar to Ringu. While The Hole is a bit uneven in places, the Indonesian film is a riveting watch, and for the most part, the cocktail blend of genres works.

Set in 1965, the movie stars Baskara Mahendra as police officer Soegeng. He investigates a series of gruesome murders in which high-ranking politicians, religious leaders, and military officers are left with words such as liar and thief carved into their backs. This is where the similarities to Seven come into play. It's clear that the killer intends to make a statement. The police procedural and mystery carry the film through its first half, and it's quite strong and gripping, including Mahendra's performance as the lead. He's just a guy who wants to do what's best and solve the murders rocking the small village of Lubang Buaya.

Meanwhile, the community blames a spirit called the Hollow Ghost, while others point to the Communist Party. Another highpoint is the way the grisly killings cause hysteria within the community. Everyone is quick assign blame and fault, be it on a ghost, or on the political tumult rocking the country at the time. Bramantyo based the film, in part, on the September 30th Movement of 1965, when six army generals were assassinated in Lubang Buaya, preceding a failed military coup.

Soegeng's job takes him away from his family, including his wife, Arum (Carissa Perusset), and his dying father. This creates a strain on Arum and Soegeng's marriage because she's essentially left to care for his dying father, and the scenes and tension between Arum and Soegeng are some of the strongest in the film, grounded in reality and the challenge of caring for a dying parent. Atop of that, the Hollow Woman continually haunts Arum, though the guard/officer Soegeng stations in the house can't see her, so few believe Arum.

The film's second half takes a major narrative shift that's not quite as strong as the movie's first half. Soegeng encounters a shaman named Surad Ji (Khiva Iskak). His character has a rather loaded story in which a group of high-ranking political officials and wealthy men steal and rape his wife, a dancer named Ningsih (Anya Zen). The scenes between Ningsih and these men are brutal and a tough watch, especially what they eventually do to her when she fights back.

It's at this point the movie involves body swapping and full-blown paranormal concepts. Some of them don't quite land and instead overexplain the movie. That said, Iskak gives a compelling performance as a character thirsty for vengeance. He's a wild-eyed, wild-haired character who steals most of the scenes he's in, even if his backstory and its relevance to the murders are a little too outlandish.

Further, the Hollow Woman works best when she's not fully seen, or when she's merely mentioned as supernatural lore that some community members fault for the murders. When we do see her in full, the CGI effects lessen the scares. It's very true that sometimes less is simply more. It's often best to trust viewers to fill in some of the imaginative gaps.

Overall, The Hole works especially well when it's a crime thriller with a few supernatural elements mixed in. The movie tries to do a lot in about 90 minutes, and not all of the narrative points land. Still, Bramantyo remains a fascinating Indonesian filmmaker. His latest work wears its influences proudly and has some real high points overall.

The Hole premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.