Impetigore

Impetigore is a 2019 horror film written and directed by Joko Anwar. The film stars Tara Basro, Marissa Anita, Christine Hakim, Asmara Abigail, and Ario Bayu. The film follows Maya (Basro), who travels with her friend Dini (Anita) to her remote ancestral village seeking an inheritance. Almost a decade in development, the film was announced in 2011 but was shelved. Seven years later, Impetigore was secured as an international co-production between Indonesian, South Korean and American production houses. Filming took place on location at various sites in East Java, facing challenges due to the remoteness of the main village location and Anwar being hospitalised with dengue fever. Impetigore premiered in Indonesia on 17 October 2019 and internationally at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. It was later acquired by Shudder for international streaming. The film was a box office success in Indonesia and received favourable reviews internationally, with critics praising its cinematography, sound design and use of Indonesian folklore. It was selected as the Indonesian official entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but was not nominated. At the 40th Citra Awards, Indonesia's top film honours, the film received a record-breaking 17 nominations and won 6, including Best Picture, a second Best Director for Anwar, and a third supporting actress and ninth overall win for screen veteran Christine Hakim. Plot Best friends Maya and Dini work as tollbooth collectors in Jakarta. On a night shift, Maya is attacked by a man wielding a golok, who says he is from a village called Harjosari and calls Maya "Rahayu". Maya narrowly avoids being killed before the attacker is shot dead by police. Later, Maya shows Dini an old photograph given by her aunt, who has raised her in the city since her parents' mysterious deaths. The photograph shows a young Maya, who is identified as Rahayu, with her deceased parents Donowongso and Shinta, in front of a large house. Maya and Dini travel to the remote Harjosari village to look for the house in the hope of selling it as inheritance.