Gundik Film Review: When Visual And Superior Comedy, But The Main Character Is Not Delivered Maximum

Gundik Film Footage (YouTube Cinema 21)

JAKARTA - The Umbara Brothers Film production house with Rumpi Entertainment and Makara will release their first horror-heist film in collaboration with Luna Maya to Maxime Bouttier in Gundik.

Gundik tells the story of four robbers who plan to steal at Nyai's luxury home (played by Luna Maya), a woman who deposits a wealthy official.

They believe that the house holds abundant wealth. However, they do not realize that Nyai is not an ordinary woman. She is a mysterious figure with supernatural powers who control the house.

After successfully entering, the robbers began to experience strange and frightening events, such as the pungent aroma of oils, mysterious shadows, and other supernatural terrors. They also had to struggle to survive and get out of the house which turned out to harbor dark secrets and ancient curses.

Gundik opens his story with visuals that immediately captivate the eye. Luna Maya's appearance as Nyai stole the attention so much from the start, giving rise to high expectations that she will become the center of a story with a strong and deep background.

Uniquely, despite the horror genre, this film is able to insert elements of comedy very naturally. Humor is not felt forced thanks to the light acting and flexibleness of the players, especially Arif Didu who stole attention through his distinctive style. Chemistry between characters is also well built, making the flow feel loose and not stiff.

The dialogue used also feels light and easy to understand. There is no impression that it is too standard or heavy, so that the audience can enjoy every conversation without having to think hard. The storyline is also arranged in the aftermath and slowly, providing space for the audience to understand the conflict that was built from the start.

But unfortunately, towards the end of the film, the story begins to enter a puzzling phase. The presence of new characters is not explained strongly enough, making the direction of the story run away and raising many questions. This makes the intensity that has been built from the start decrease.

What is quite surprising is that Gundik presents an unexpected and effective plot twist to surprise the audience. But on the other hand, the big expectations for Nyai's character don't feel paid off. Luna Maya, who should be the center of the story Gundik, actually feels less room to show a large background or influence on the main conflict.

The death of Nyai's character and the motive behind the role of the widow that she carried was minimal, causing disappointment for the audience who thought that this film would further explore the story of the character. As a result, the moment that should be emotional and the key to the story feels empty.

Overall, Gundik is a horror-medical film that attracts visually and lightly in terms of dialogue, but loses a bit of direction at the end. With the main character not being processed optimally, this film leaves a question mark and is not satisfied for some of the audience.