''Ritual'' ( id, Modus Anomali) is a 2012 Indonesian psychological thriller film written and directed by Joko Anwar. It stars Rio Dewanto in the lead role and is Anwar's first English-language film. According to Anwar, he made the film in English simply to indicate that it does not take place in Indonesia.

Synopsis

The film opens with a man (

Rio Dewanto Rio Dewanto (born in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 28, 1987) is an Indonesian actor and model of Javanese descent. Career Dewanto began his debut career as film actor when played his cameo role in the two films, titled ''Pintu Terlarang'' (2009) ...

) waking up buried in a shallow grave in the middle of a forest with no recollection of what happened to him. He finds hints that he has a family and therefore travels the jungle trying to reunite with his wife and children. However, he soon finds out that he is not alone and there is someone trying to kill him and his family.

Cast

as John Evans * Hannah Al Rashid as Woman * Izzi Isman as Girl * Aridh Tritama as Boy * Sadha Triyudha as Older Son * Jose Gamo as Younger Son * Marsha Timothy as Wife *

Surya Saputra Surya Saputra (born in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 5, 1975) is an Indonesian actor, singer, and model. He is the husband of Indonesian actress and singer, Cynthia Lamusu. He is also a former member of the Indonesian pop group Cool Colors. Care ...

as Husband

Production

Development

Anwar has stated that he first conceived the idea for the film in 2006. According to producer Sheila Timothy, Anwar first shared the story with her in 2009 while making ''

The Forbidden Door ''The Forbidden Door'' ( id, Pintu Terlarang) is a 2009 Indonesian psychological thriller film written and directed by Joko Anwar based on Sekar Ayu Asmara's novel of the same name. Despite disappointing box office receipts in Indonesia, the fi ...

'', which she also produced through Lifelike Pictures.

Filming

Shooting took place in Mount Pancar in Sentul, West Java, across 10 days in November 2011.

Release

''Ritual'' was released in theaters in Indonesia on 26 April 2012. It was also selected for screening at the 2012 South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, United States.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews upon release. Anton Bitel of ''Little White Lies'' gave ''Ritual'' a positive review, calling the narrative "disorienting" with an ending that "makes all the disparate elements in the film cohere in an ingenious, unsettling manner". In a lukewarm review, Cornila Desyana of ''

Tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

'' called the film "absurd" and criticized the lack of dialogues even for the lead character. John Townsend of ''Starburst'' panned the film, saying "Instead of what could have been a taut, tense thriller, ''Ritual'' descends into a weary chase movie where you never really care who is chasing whom, or why.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Joko Anwar 2012 films Indonesian horror films English-language Indonesian films 2010s English-language films Films directed by Joko Anwar