Synopsis
Sabrina (2018) is an Indonesian supernatural horror film directed by Rocky Soraya. It serves as a spin-off and spiritual sequel to The Doll films, which were already famous in Southeast Asia. The story takes place in Bandung, Indonesia, where Maira and Aiden form a married couple living in an upscale home with their niece named Vanya. Aiden is a prosperous toy entrepreneur who has created and sold a product line that includes a life-sized doll called Sabrina. He gifts the doll to Vanya, hoping it will help her cope with the trauma of losing her mother, Andini.
Vanya’s enthusiasm for the doll is tangible; however, the sadness she feels endures. Overwhelming sorrow causes Vanya to resort to an urban legend ritual known as Charlie Charlie: a purportedly simple way of communicating with the spirit world. From her perspective, Vanya only wants to reach her mother’s soul. Unfortunately, this great evil force winds up being summoned into their lives instead.
Some aspects of their domestic life began to be affected by unfathomable events. For example, doors shutting with bangs, distant whispers coming from the Sabrina doll, as well as unsettling actions being performed that all seem linked to Sabrina. Initially, Maira and Aiden thought that Vanya was throwing tantrums and believed it was a part of her coping response due to the trauma she had gone through. Yet, vicious and violent forms of these occurrences were on the rise, which compelled them to recognize utterly illogical defiance situations.
For paranormal assistance, Aiden and Maira sought out Laras & Bagas, experts in demonology and biodefense.
Revelations were made by the specialists stating that it was neither just Andini nor a ghost that was troubling them, but rather a more complex issue; right Baghiah: a primordial demon known for its malicious traits.
Laras goes on to explain: “This type of witchcraft is often referred to as faroah’s curse, an original curse is caused when certain types of magic practiced in some parts of the arab world…”
Then protective measures were put in place when Lamus tried to protect Vana, asserting her availability, aiming to prevent others while causing a series of vehicles during the performance.
There is no question that Aiden is concealing something. The paleontologist’s excitement about his wife’s birthmark hints at a deception-filled family tree waiting to be uncovered. In the middle of all this confusion, Aiden’s insatiable thirst for success and wealth drives him to make morally ambiguous decisions.
With every ‘choice’ he makes, the strange activities happening behind the walls of their home unfold further out of control. The film sets up a classic good versus evil showdown where time-constrained demonologists desperately race to preserve Vanya’s essence by performing an exorcism.
Main Cast and Characters
Luna Maya portrays Maira, a profoundly sympathetic character attempting to safeguard her family. Her performance captures the film’s emotional arc, embodying the blend of vulnerability and resignation crucial to her role.
Deeply withdrawn from the world, Vanya is a young girl burdened by grief and loneliness. She is played by Richelle Georgette Skornicki. The duality of childhood’s innocence — alongside the raw chilling sepulcher shadow that … grief can cast — is something that Skornicki captures well .
Laras, the seasoned demonologist confronting the evil force, is played by Sara Wijayanto. Portraying commanding presence infused with mysticism, she bestows her character with spiritual calm.
Demian Aditya portrays Bagas, Laras’s partner. As a fellow demonologist, he balances the more sensitive side of Laras with some analytical perspective.
Direction and Style
As Sabrina’s director, Rocky Soraya incorporates visually sophisticated elements and refinement into his films. Suspenseful coloring and dread-laden light infuse vivid terror throughout the movie. Soraya focuses on spatial terror instead of gore while supernatural tension builds inside the family’s claustrophobic home to a breaking point.
The score and sound design build overwhelming tension as well. During moments like creaks of old wood or whispers soft thuds—they are enhanced—heightened to ensure alertness during lethargic doll Sabrina portions. Between symbolizing innocent youth stagnated in time captured by grotesque horror almost like living porcelain —eyes openly vacant yet sunken—the Sabrina doll evokes disturbing focus deftly shifting hues astoundingly cold glamour venerated still viscerally unsightly overkill —inviting fright.Themes and Symbolism
Sabrina portrays unresolved grief and the dangers that may follow closely as its driving force. Vanya’s desire to be reunited with her mother is a manifestation of the wish people have to reconnect with loved ones who have departed from this realm. This sentiment captures the essence of humanity, and the portrayal effectively augments the narrative while providing emotional depth to its horror elements.
In addition, guilt and truths that lie beneath the surface are explored in detail. Aiden’s attempts to effectively hide portions of his life bring about evil forces that besiege his household. There is a common notion that disturbances at one’s place often originate from one’s deep-rooted psychological or moral imbalance, and this principle strongly resonates throughout Sabrina.
There is a critique on emotional detachment which stems from Aiden’s substitution of human interaction for mercantilism through toys. While intended as comfort for Aiden, the Sabrina doll morphs into an emblem of terror, underscoring the dire outcomes stemming from replacing genuine affection and relationships with hollow tokens devoid of meaning or purpose.
Critical Reception
Public response to the film Sabrina was mixed for both Indonesians and cross-border viewers. The audience had something to appreciate with regard to the production design, visual effects, and the emotional performances by the film’s lead actors. As far as emotionally gratifying performances go, Luna Maya’s portrayal in “Sabrina” was considered her best work up until that time.
Critics focused on what seemed to be an overabundance of horror elements such as jump scares and slow pacing that were either overly borrowed from hit American films like Annabelle or The Conjuring. Some reviewers felt that incorporating “Doll” films into the plot with flashback narration did very little to add value because they had become overly predictable.
Notwithstanding all of this critique, it is undeniable that Sabrina did succeed in building suspense, framing it within themes of Southeast Asian horror. Instead of gruesome portrayals of raw violence, the film captured viewers through spiritual conflict combined with moral decay and deep-rooted emotional shattering.
Conclusion
Sabrina (2018) enriches Indonesia’s cinematic landscape, blending horror genre with folklore and modern family drama. While being Sabrina’s primary flaw, the film still captures the potential of Indonesian filmmakers to produce culturally diverse genre films. Sabrina’s unique combination of contemporary horror with culture, traditional exorcism evokes deep-seated emotions, rendering a spooky experience that intertwines fright with cultural introspection reflecting the Indonesia.
Innocently terrifying and creepily spine-chilling, Sabrina grasped grief and guilt as haunting entities serving an astonishing performance within a standalone horror narrative or as part ‘The Doll’ series. Some films manage to encapsulate chaos wrapped in turmoil and severely battered spirits beneath unsettling surfacesong rather disruptively meandering darkness.
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