Dancing Village: The Curse Begins, Honest Review Badarawuhi di Desa Penari

Dear reader Kompasiana,

There have been many reviews about this popular horror film in Indonesia, Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesia: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari). Just watched on Netflix and will try to review in english. So that Indonesian horror films are also more known by international audiences. 

Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesia: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari) is a 2024 Indonesian folk horror film directed by Kimo Stamboel. This is a new film released at the beginning of the year. Inviting curiosity and curiosity because based on a viral horror story titled Student Community Service in Dancing Village (Indonesia: KKN di Desa Penari) by SimpleMan. 

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This film produced by MD Pictures. The filming was carried out in Yogyakarta and Jakarta. The filming process lasted for 36 days from August to October 2023. Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesia: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari) played by Aulia Sarah as our beautiful and enchanting, Badarawuhi. The other main characters are played by Maudy Effrosina and Jourdy Pranata as Mila and Yuda. There is Iqbal Sulaiman as Jito, Ardit as Arya, Claresta Taufan Kusumarina as Ratih, Diding Boneng as Mbah Buyut, Aming as young Mbah Buyut.

Screenshot Dancing Village: The Curse Begins

So let's take a look at the synopsis of this Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesia: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari). 

You will be taken into time under the year 1990 and enter the remote area of Java, Indonesia. The village is a unique remote village where there are many mysteries stored. Especially the mystery surrounding the dancers and the beautiful entity.

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The story starts with Mila and her friends from city. Mila is seeking unique remote village in Java with iconic dancer to save her mother of an unknown creepy disease. Then Mila and her friend went to a Dance Village.

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There Mila stayed at Ratih's house where it was later found out that Ratih's mother was also sick like Mila's mother. Mila experienced many strange events until she was faced with the beautiful dancer Badarawuhi. It seems that there was a supernatural agreement when their mother turned out to be born and raised in that remote village. 

Mila continues to dig into her mother's past without realizing that she is being targeted by the entity there. Horror incidents continue to grapple with livestock deaths. Finally, the old shaman and the locals agreed to restart the special ritual of the Dance Village.

Mila, Ratih and other girls were chosen to dance in the place of an ancient building. They kept dancing and dancing and dancing until the girls fell...

Screenshot Dancing Village: The Curse Begins

What happened then to Mila and her friends? Can Mila make the right decision to save her mother?

Honest review of Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesia: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari).

+ Cinematography & CG Animation 3/5 star. There are some decent CGs. The cinematography is also quite neat compared to the previous movie, Student Community Service in Dancing Village (Indonesia: KKN di Desa Penari). 

+ Scoring & Music 4/5 star. The advantage of horror movies is that the scoring is clearly intended to add spice to the story. Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesian: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari) has a good scoring and is combined with Javanese music. Ordinary gamelan seems darker and creepier. This is good.

Gamelan itself is a type of orchestra native to the islands of Java and Bali in Indonesia. Gamelan mostly consists of several types of gongs and various sets of metal instruments, which are then tuned and struck with special hammers.

Gamelan (www.flickr.com/photos/the_justified_sinner)

+ Plot story 3/5 star. Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesian: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari) has a horror plot that is familiar to Indonesian people. Klenik in a remote village that still holds tightly to traditional customs. The dancers from the past are part of the ritual of village prosperity until the time of the mother of Mila.  They dance for prosperity, self-pride and covenants with other entity.

+ Characters 3/5 star. The characters in Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesian: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari) can also be found in some Indonesian people until now. Mila who never gives up and fights. Ratih who is fragile but loves her mother very much. Ardit as a caring guy. Mbah Buyut who is respected for his shamanic abilities. 

Our beautiful Badarawuhi itself as a ruling entity in that area. She can be powerful manipulate and high confident.

Screenshot Dancing Village: The Curse Begins

+ Comedy 2/5 star. This horror film can be surprised because the comedic tone was a little. There's a bit of comedy to layer the serious story. Complementary factors. No comedy means something is lacking in this movie, if there is comedy that adds a unique touch.

+ Gore 3/5 star. Gore is a lot and needed as part of horror.

+ Overall Rating 3/5 star. Dancing Village: The Curse Begins (Indonesian: Badarawuhi di Desa Penari) can be said to be a light horror film with a conflict that is familiar with Indonesian culture. Recommendations to watch when you need a meaningful spectacle because there are lessons learned from Mila's adventure in the Dance Village.