''The Forbidden Door'' ( id, Pintu Terlarang) is a

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n psychological thriller film written and directed by

Joko Anwar Joko Anwar (born 3 January 1976) is an Indonesian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, he worked as a journalist and film critic. Anwar first rose to prominence for co-writing Nia Dinata's 2003 hit ' ...

based on

Sekar Ayu Asmara Sekar Ayu Asmara is an Indonesian songwriter, director, and author. Biography Asmara was born in Jakarta to a diplomat and his wife. She accompanied her father to foreign countries when he received an assignment. While overseas with her family, sh ...

's novel of the same name. Despite disappointing box office receipts in Indonesia, the film won rave reviews internationally, with ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' calling it a film that "would make lfred

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

and

edro United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...

Almodóvar proud."

Plot

Gambir, a

lifecasting Lifecasting is the process of creating a three-dimensional copy of a living human body, through the use of molding and casting techniques.extramaritally impregnates Talyda Sasongko. At the

abortion clinic Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregnan ...

, a man tells him that when his wife had abortion here, they were haunted with guilt, though gradually adapted as they aborted every single fetus they had. Gambir, overcome with emotion, cuts the belly part of one of his sculptures and puts the fetus, named Arjasa, in it, so it would appear "living". They later marry and his career rises (Arjasa's sculpture being the most acclaimed work), but he is still haunted and becomes dispirited, often causing division between him and Talyda. He also suffers

erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is the type of sexual dysfunction in which the penis fails to become or stay erect during sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in men.Cunningham GR, Rosen RC. Overview of male ...

as a result. When Gambir reveals to Jimmy, owner of an

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

, that he wants to change his sculpting motif, he is threatened not to do so, or Arjasa's sculpture will be revealed and he and Talyda will face criminal charges. One day, Gambir notices in his house a locked door; Talyda tells him only she can enter the door, warning that if he opens it, an energy of melancholy will consume Talyda and ruin their marriage. Gambir discovers that he has been getting messages written in various places stating "help me" and "Herosase". Noticing his friend Dandung exiting the Herosase building, he asks; Dandung tells him it is not for the faint-hearted and makes him a member. Gambir is told that the only rule in Herosase is to never ask. Gambir is made watching videos depicting rape, suicide, and a boy being violently abused by his parents. Dandung tells him the cameras were placed by Herosase Inc. without the knowledge of others, and says nothing can be done toward the victims. The next day, Dandung claims the boy died with his mother, leaving Gambir devastated with guilt. At his sculpture exhibition, Gambir hears a talk among several members of Herosase, where a man speculates the boy's parents have been paid, and that he saw a video depicting the mother drowning him, convinced that soon the boy will die. Gambir goes to Herosase and watches as the bloody boy takes a chef's knife and gleefully performs

familicide A familicide is a type of murder or murder-suicide in which one kills multiple close family members in quick succession, most often children, spouses, siblings, or parents. In half the cases, the killer lastly kills themselves in a murder-sui ...

. At the

channels Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

menu, Gambir learns that his house has also been watched, and sees Talyda having sex with Dandung and his friend Rio upon his mother's suggestion, as well as telling Jimmy to fake his praise towards Gambir and his works, mentioning Arjasa's sculpture. For Christmas, Gambir arranges a dinner with Talyda, Dandung, Rio, his mother, and Jimmy. He infuses their red wines with a poison named devilish pit, causing 10 minutes of

paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

, and uses that time to kill them. Gambir sees the locked door covered with a painting of an eye. After throwing it, he barges in and learns that the door is the house of the boy in the video. Upon seeing his mother, who bears resemblance with Gambir's mother, he has an epiphany that everything he went through is his imagination. The boy represents Gambir's youth, except before he was able to decapitate himself police barged in the house. He was admitted to a mental hospital named Herosase, where he forms a humane

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

of himself. The sculptor idea comes from a journalist named Ranti who gave him books and magazines as influences on his imagination. Gambir fancied Ranti and imagined her as his wife named Talyda. Other characters are in reality hospital staff. He then imagines being a Catholic pastor assisting a man who went through the same thing he did in his imagination; he advises the man not to open his philosophical door of chaos which he dubs "the forbidden door."

Cast

Directors

Timo Tjahjanto Timo Tjahjanto (; born Timothy Tjahjanto; 4 September 1980) is an Indonesian film director, producer, and screenwriter known for his works on the horror and action genres. Tjahjanto runs the film production company Merah Production. Apart from ...

and

Kimo Stamboel Kimo Stamboel (born Mochammad Maliki Stamboel on 25 June 1980) is an Indonesian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for his works on the horror genres both as himself and also as part of The Mo Brothers with friend Timo Tjahj ...

, collectively known as

The Mo Brothers The Mo Brothers is an Indonesian filmmaking duo consisting of directors, producers, and screenwriters Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel. They have mostly worked on the action, thriller, and horror genres. They first became known for directing t ...

, made cameo appearances as patrons of the art gallery Herosase while costume designer Isabelle Patrice appeared briefly as a doctor at the abortion clinic.

Production

The film is Anwar's third feature releases following 2005's ''

Joni's Promise ''Janji Joni'' (English: ''Joni's Promise'') is a 2005 Indonesian adventure romantic comedy film written and directed by Joko Anwar in his directorial debut. Starring Nicholas Saputra, Mariana Renata, Rachel Maryam, and Surya Saputra, the film ...

'' and 2007's '' Dead Time: Kala''. According to Anwar, while the story is based on an existing material, he added elements of his own into the screenplay by touching on his personal disdain of people who conceive children to conform to society's expectations without any real plans.

Soundtrack

The film's original soundtrack consists of 18 tracks divided into two parts: part one consisting of songs performed by various bands and part two consisting of the film's score composed by Aghi Narottama, Bembi Gusti, Gascaro Ramondo, and Zeke Khaseli.

Part One

Part Two

Release

The film was released on January 22, 2009 in Indonesia followed by screenings at several international film festivals, including the

International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

Toronto After Dark Film Festival Toronto After Dark Film Festival is a showcase of horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival premieres a diverse selection of feature-length and short-films from around the world including new ...

Sitges Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

, and

Jakarta International Film Festival Jakarta International Film Festival (Indonesian: ''Festival Film Internasional Jakarta'') or JiFFest is the major film festival of Indonesia held every December in the capital, Jakarta, since 1999. The festival is on a shaky financial footing and ...

Reception

''The Forbidden Door'' received widespread acclaim from critics. Calling it a film that would make "would make lfred

and

Almodóvar proud", Maggie Lee of ''

'' named ''The Forbidden Door'' "the most polished genre film of its kind in recent Indonesian cinema". The

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...

's website described the film as a "19th century gothic novel adapted by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

and directed by

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

", calling it "one of the sickest, kinkiest movies". John Leal of ''

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. ...

'' rated the film 8 out of 10 and wrote that the film "is a highly recommended Indonesian effort whose storyline gives us a very unique experience that comes well written and with plenty of horror to offset and in fact complement the drama. Anwar’s direction is equally amazing, giving us a full-frontal approach to the well-executed horror sequences that set this film apart from most of what I have seen in recent time." Similarly, ''

Twitch Film Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...

s Ard Vijn also praised the film, noting that "Anwar wants to keep his movies accessible for the general public while telling them an outrageous story at the same time, and like with ''Kala'' it's amazing how well he succeeds. He also noted that the 4 out of 5 stars audience rating the film received during its screening at the

indicates that "maybe people are used to a lot more gore than I expected."

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbidden Door, The 2009 films 2009 horror films Films shot in Indonesia 2000s pregnancy films Indonesian horror films Indonesia psychological horror films Films based on Indonesian novels 2000s mystery films 2009 psychological thriller films Films based on thriller novels Films about mental health Indonesian pregnancy films 2000s Indonesian-language films Films directed by Joko Anwar