Brilio.net - Today, Thursday (1/8), the thriller film Thorny Fog officially aired on Netflix. Set on the Indonesia-Malaysia border, Kabut Berduri tells the story of a female detective from Jakarta who investigates a series of horrific murders in Kalimantan. This case is filled with tension, superstition, and dark stories in the border area.
Edwin, as the director, admitted that the inspiration for this film came in the early 2000s after receiving a story about the work of anthropologist Dave Lumenta, the source and the music director team in this film, in the border area. This research initiated the birth of a visual concept for the scene of the discovery of a corpse in a no-man's zone, which became the opening scene of this film.
What if a body is found in the area? In the no man's land area. "Dave said, sometimes it is taken care of, sometimes it is not taken care of because the area is not the responsibility of any state," said Edwin, quoted by brilio.net from a press release.
photo: doc. Netflix
Filming for 5 weeks in Kalimantan, apparently was an experience in itself for the players. The long journey to the shooting location is also a memory that remains in the minds of the actors. Moreover, the location is on the border between Malaysia and Indonesia.
"There are limited planes there, only twice a week," said Kiki Narendra, who plays Agam.
He and Siti Fauziah, who plays Umi, cannot forget their experience of traveling 22 hours overland from Pontianak to the Badau border.
Riding a car for 22 hours in Java and in Kalimantan is a very different experience. "All along the road [in Kalimantan] there are only forests and oil palm plantations," said Siti Fauziah.
Edwin himself deliberately wanted to come directly to Kalimantan to capture the reality of the culture and society in the area. He also uses this opportunity to present stories from outside Java which are rarely present in the Indonesian film industry.
I am very interested in the stories, culture and the lives of the people there. It turns out that what we see from the perspective of people living in Jakarta or Java towards those living on the border is completely far from what actually happens. "There's a lot I learned about Indonesia, through (the lens of) the border," said Edwin.
Kiki admired Edwin's decision to film directly in Kalimantan. "I once asked Mas Edwin, why did you have to shoot all the way there? The answer amazed me. He said, our actors' eyes cannot lie. "If we have traveled a long way to get there, the camera can capture that experience through our eyes," he said.
photo: doc. Netflix
Meanwhile, Putri Marino, as the main character, admitted that she was willing to cut her hair very short in order to deepen Sanja's character. The actors were also given the opportunity to meet and chat with police to understand more about the border.
"This opportunity was very helpful to see their perspective as people who work in the area," added Putri.
Playing Sanja is not Putri Marino's first experience playing a police officer, after she played a police officer named Dina in the film The Big Four from director Timo Tjahjanto. Even though their professions are similar, Putri admitted that her experience playing Sanja and Dina was quite different.
As Sanja, I have to learn more about the police hierarchy and profession. "It was important to explore the thoughts of this character, who was sent from Jakarta, a big city, to the border area," said Putri.
He felt lucky because he was given enough reading time to deepen Sanja's character. Palari also prepares various workshops for actors, including shooting classes.
Apart from Putri Marino, this film also stars many popular actors and actresses, such as Lukman Sardi, Nicholas Saputra, Yusuf Mahardika, Yoga Pratama, Kiki Narendra, and many more.