Temurun Review: Predictable Plot with an Interesting and Somewhat Unexpected Ending

Temurun is an Indonesian horror thriller with ominous vibes that will creep into your skin as the movie progresses. With freaky rituals and some jump scares, the film captures your attention while leaving you hanging with its realistic ending. Along with this, it tries to leave behind a message which only adds to the confusion you are left behind at the end.

Directed by Inarah Syarafina, the movie has a runtime of 86 minutes.

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Temurun Review

The plot of the film revolves around siblings Dewi and Sena, whose sudden loss of their mother reunites them with their father and paternal grandmother. However, unknown to them is a legacy awaiting that will change their lives forever. Dewi is in grief after the loss of their mother and is unable to come out of it, giving way to the evil that awaits her to take over the burden that awaits her.

The film begins with a dysfunctional family where two siblings are burdened by the responsibilities that they have to uphold due to their mother’s illness. The siblings are seen having a tough time, financially, which adds to the stress that is already surrounding them. But this doesn’t affect the deep relationship Dewi shares with her mother, which becomes the reason for her downfall.

A lot of blame games are played throughout the film, which only gets worse as the siblings lose their father too. Meanwhile, Dewi’s sadness due to the loss of her mother creates opportunities for real evil beings to go ahead with their plans. She is at the center of the film, be it protecting her, burdening her, blaming her, or even using her; her main character energy remains constant throughout the film.

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As the film progresses, a lot of assumptions can easily be made about where the storyline is heading, but the ending will still manage to take you by surprise. It is this aspect of the film that left me confused but also left an impression at the same time. The plot in itself was intriguing yet simple, but the ending made it different from typical horror movies where the protagonist usually manages to escape.

Coming to the cinematography, it is surely a well-made movie with the right setting to bring an eerie feeling to your screen. The choice of colors is typical of horror movies involving sacrificial rituals, the poor-to-rich transition, and so on. The music brings the typical setting of movies in this genre which is no big surprise.

The actors, on the other hand, have been somewhat satisfactory. While some have managed to shake us with their characters, others will leave us unimpressed. Yasamen Jasem has done a good job in portraying her character as Dewi, fully expressing Dewi’s yearning for her mother whom she could not save. Karina Suwandhi is another actor who impressed me every time she popped up on screen and scared both Dewi and the viewers.

Altogether, the film felt less like horror and more like an interesting family ritual story told by an elder during a family gathering, surrounded by curious children. Other than a few jump scares that you will soon get bored out of, there isn’t any horror in the film and will be a letdown for you if you are a fan of a good horror film.

Summing Up

Temurun is an intriguing tale of a family involved in supernatural evil activities with a somewhat interesting message about how your emotions can help outsiders control you. The plot has its letdowns but while I suggest that horror lovers skip this, it can be an interesting one-time watch when you need something very remotely horror (yes, this is for those who are unable to watch anything horror and have an intense dislike for it).

While the dysfunctional family in the film can annoy you at times, you will realize how simple the characters are almost immediately. The ending will make you question why you watched this film but also make you think this is how it would usually be in a more realistic world. Finally, it is an interesting watch but not something that would be a must-watch.

Watch Temurun on Netflix.

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