[Review XN] PELUKIS HANTU

"We can seek happiness in the future, as long as we are honest and sincere to the best of our ability."

Ghost Painter is a fun movie. That's the first impression that was etched after watching it. At first glance, this spectacle that combines the horror and comedy genres does look like a B-class horror show that is made to make profits without caring about the quality – the track record of this genre is unmistakable. What's more, MD Pictures decided to direct it to a streaming service provider which certainly sparked my suspicions: why? Understandably, the experience of watching Indonesian films in the past month has really made my head spin so that doubts soared into the sky. Truly, I have surrendered to God. However, the Ghost Painter, which marks the first time Arie Kriting has made his directorial debut, shows that there is still hope for a product that is thrown into OTT (over the top or streaming service). Following in the footsteps of his fellow comedian, Bene Dion, who last year produced an impressive Ghost Writer, Bung Arie tries to present an entertainment offering that not only makes the audience laugh and is shocked, but also gains something. Yes, he also puts his heart into the storytelling to bring out the emotional side of the storytelling as well as the complex issues of injury and trauma. A bold step for the first work.

In Pelukis Hantu, we are introduced to an amateur painter named Tutur (Ge Pamungkas) who is experiencing economic difficulties because his works are not selling well. Yet at the same time, he has to pay for the medical expenses of his mother, Ana (Aida Nurmala), who is seriously ill. When hope seems to have faded, Tutur receives a call from his old friend, Udin (Abdur Arsyad), who informs him of a vacancy to become one of the performers in a mystical program on television. Not just any performer, but in the position of “ghost painter” where he has to paint memedi with his eyes closed. As someone who has high ideals – plus he has no talent for seeing supernatural beings – Tutur was afflicted with doubts because he felt he had lied to the public. But since he had no other choice, why not just try it first? At first, our protagonist pretends to have the ability to communicate with other realms until then… that ability really gets to him (!). A kuntilanak figure often appears in front of him every time his eyes are closed. On the one hand, this appearance definitely helped smooth his career. But on the other hand, Tutur began to question the kuntilanak's motives. He suspected that there was an important message that he really wanted to convey to him. Assisted by a blogger who specializes in the supernatural, Amanda (Michelle Ziudith), and Udin, Tutur tries to uncover the mystery behind Mbak Kunti's appearance, which turns out to be related to a past tragedy.

Given Arie's background as a comedian, it is not surprising that later the Ghost Painter whose script he also wrote showed his superiority in terms of profit. His skill in setting the tempo, digging into the material, as well as the support of the actors make it possible for most of the humor to slide smoothly. I laughed again and again at his witty jokes here and there – particularly in the entertainment and political sectors – and then played with words, to the point of inserting references to popular culture. Interestingly, the humor that is put forward by this film is integrated with the main plot instead of appearing randomly from nowhere like a collection of sketches. Taking advantage of the unnatural situation of the main character which then gave birth to tickling jokes and tickling among the characters. Personally, I like the presence of Abdur Arsyad here, who is described as an opportunist character with a brain that is, well… mediocre, and Hifdzi Khoir as a greedy producer who only thinks about one thing: rating. The funniest moments in Ghost Painter stick out when the two humans are involved. Expression, delivery, and timing are carefully calculated. It made me immediately discouraged from slapping the two of them with a canvas because the characters were designed to be annoying. I really don't want to, but how come it's funny so it can be forgiven a little for his naudzubillah behavior.

Both of them stole spotlights from Ge Pamungkas and Michelle Ziudith as the main stars who tend to fluctuate. When he got the task of making jokes, Ge actually did not experience any problems. But when the turn to act seriously came where Tutur had to let out all his pent-up feelings, that's when Ge showed his limitations. There is no emotion that is channeled to the audience, thereby reducing the opportunity for the film to invite tears. Honestly, I regret it considering the third act of Ghost Painter which puts forward the topic of “making peace with wounds” has the potential to crush the heart. Michelle Ziudith, who has higher flying hours when it comes to handling dramatic moments, didn't help much. His character did not experience significant development and seemed to be positioned only as a mere love interest for Tutur. In fact, his personal conflicts with his family are slowly marginalized as Tutur's search deepens. Michelle also gets very little chance for joking, but hey, look how cute she is in Mecca I'm Coming the other day. I imagine, the film might be more fun if Amanda with her psychic appearance is not given a romance plot and is more of a crazy partner in crime for the Tutur-Udin duo. For his tektokan partner, Udin, who just needs a little more light to make his remarks even more out of control, making our main character constantly dizzy while searching for the truth about Mbak Kunti.

Even so, even though the Ghost Painter has a bit of a problem with the less exciting drama sector and the finishing point isn't as emotional as one might expect, the film is still good at having fun. Proving that Arie is a newcomer director whose career should be watched out for. For 97 minutes, I found the entertainment spectacle to relieve fatigue which is needed in difficult times like these. The horror element itself is not as dense as the comedy, even quite minimal. But Arie was able to come up with one or two scary tricks that made the servant jump from the chair. Plus, the makeup for Kuntilanak is terrible. So how could this self be able to sit quietly when his figure suddenly appeared as if he wanted to pounce on the audience? Really no morals.

Exceeds Expectations (3,5/5)