“Jurnal Risa by Risa Saraswati” is an upcoming ghost film in Indonesia slated to release in 2024. The film combines elements of mockumentary and supernatural genres, with Erizal Mantovani acting as its director. The plot revolves around Risa Saraswati who is a paranormal investigator. Risa, acts as a character in the story and herself playing the eerie lead grounded in culture, layered with her own experiences.
Summary
The plot focuses on a well known paranormal medium who conducts a supernatural investigation with her team. The goal is to capture evidences of unexplained and supernatural activities in what seemed to be an haunted location. The place is full of ominous dark energy and mystery and sparks a dark series of events when one of the characters, Prinisa, gets possessed by an evil spirit named Samex.
What begins as an orderly mission of investigation, rapidly transforms into pandemonium. When Samex captures Prinsa, the entire team is compelled to deal with the reality of the perilous spiritual risk that lingers around. The performance of ceremonies, the transgression of limits, and the increasingly indistinct line separating the world of the living from the dead, all happen concurrently. The mockumentary style—framing the film as found footage with accompanying interviews—contributes to the heightened realism and urgency of the horror, creating believability in the team’s offered evidence.
The film also explores the trauma along with the ancestral curse, unresolved haunting restlessness, and the danger that lies within spirit communication. The film meticulously creates haunting a atmosphere based in reality, particularly focusing on Indonesian spirituality, especially the Sundanese and Javanese cultures which regard the interfacing with spirits necessitating utmost respect and caution.
Casting and Acting
The film includes a mix of actors and non-professional actors, portraying a fictionalized version of themselves as casted. This choice of casting for the film embraces a realism typical for documentaries, rarely found in horror flicks.
Risa Saraswati plays herself and acts with tempered authority which serves as a solid foundation of the film. She is well-known for her paranormal investigation scenes on youtube, which grants her character authenticity and emotional weight.
Prinsa Mandagie as Prinsa serves as the emotional anchor of the film. Her spiraling into possession to the eventual fight against Samex is depicted with visceral intensity.
Nicko Irham, Ranggana Purwana, Indy Ratna Pratiwi, and Riana Rizki form the team and they all give different reactions to the unfolding terror. Their ensemble emulates real life investigative teams and was rife with skepticism, fear, and loyalty.
Neni Setiawati plays Samex, the spirit that possesses Prinsa. For the most part shown through the lens of Prinsa’s metamorphosis, the presence of Samex is intimidating and terrifying and greatly contributes to the films supernatural menace.
Other supporting Dimas Tri Adityo, Abimantu Bhakti, Sandy Pradana, Michelle Nathania, Dayinta Melira, and Yusef Muldiyana gave the portrayal of the ensemble with realistic acting in the film.
The cast manages to capture convincingly the mix of fear and friendship and psychological stress. Their responses give the impression that they were spontaneous and immediate, making every scene filled with tension and uncertainty.
Direction and Style
Rizal Mantovani’s influence can be seen in the Indonesian horror films Jelangkung and Kuntilanak, and now, he brings that same cinematic rigour to Jurnal Risa. His direction guarantees that the film’s atmosphere is engaging and captivating without defaulting to jump scares. Handheld cameras under dim lighting and tight spaces add to the feeling of claustrophobia and disquietude. This is furthered by Yadi Sugandi’s chaotic yet eerily still cinematography.
By integrating documentary footage with dramatic reenactments, Ridho Firman Ramadhan and Firdauzi Trizkiyanto’s editing maintain tension throughout. The pacing enables viewers to connect emotionally to the characters before the horror intensifies. By blending real footage with fictional horror, the film constantly keeps viewers questioning the lines of reality and performance—paralleling the deeply unsettling nature of genuine paranormal encounters.
The Undang Group Sundanese gongs and chanting alongside suspenseful whispers form an ethereal and disturbing soundscape that captures beauty while terrifying the listeners. In doing so, they craft the music, intertwining traditional instruments with ominous ambient tones which root the film culturally.
Themes and Symbolism
Jurnal Risa fundamentally analyzes an Indonesian’s cultural spirit and an attempt to define bonafide “respect” throughout a culture unique to Indonesia. It highlights the spirit, in a case that many Indonesians don’t consider a myth, rather a living force. The character Risa in the movie attempts to promote acceptance that the spirit world exists and it needs guardians, shut doors, and defined borders. It highlights the dangers of curiosity mixed with ignorance and the destruction that follows crossing unspoken thresholds.
Prinsa’s possession serves as a metaphor for abandonment and surrender, both spiritually and psychologically. It also serves as an illustration of unresolved suffering and the collective trauma carries, but silent poses, particularly in places burdened with intense spirituality. The Sundanese notion of lelembut (restless spirits) the film portrays together with the need to undertake the proper appeasing rites, a recurring motif which drives the film’s climax.
Cultural Context
Unlike the American upbringing which follows the classical trend of remorseless mauls and cold murder shows packaged as horror, the Indonesian upbringing is closely knitted with supernatural legends. The disparity in the two kinds of “entertainment” is that Indonesian “horror” concentrates on the havoc wrecked by spirits, the ancestors shooting daggers of shame, and the rituals meant to make amends. This is the storyline Jurnal Risa follows while adopting a modern twist of documentary style.
Risa Saraswati’s character is a notable one in Indonesian pop culture. As an author, medium, and content creator, she brought ghost stories and paranormal activities to the mainstream arena and filled the younger generations with fascination over the topics. This films works both as a revision of her actual events and a devotion to the Indonesian spirituality.
Reception and Impact
Saraswati’s ‘Jurnal Risa’ garnered mainly positive feedback from Indonesian horror fans and followers of her online content. It was praised for taking a unique approach with the mockumentary style within a genre where it is seldom seen. Viewers enjoyed the performances as well as their portrayal of real spiritual practices as opposed to manufactured horror tricks.
Critics did mention that the film is unlikely to appeal to people who are not familiar with the local ethos or are expecting high-octane action sequences. However, for the intended viewers, the film is great, as it deeply resonates with them, allowing them to absorb an experience that seamlessly blends documentary-style realism with traditional ghost storytelling.
Conclusion
Jurnal Risa is by Risa, which forms part of the corpus of Indonesian horror cinema, is unique both thematically and stylistically. The film’s mockumentary approach, rigorous ethnographic framework, a close-up treatment of haunting makes chilling realism and its social commentary poignant. As the film reveals, the worst things can happen when stories blur the boundary between brutal truths and unfathomable deceit, and unrelenting invisibilities are not treated as mere metaphysics, but rather honored.
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