Excellent but underrated film

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts: An Indonesian Western, a Tale of Revenge, a Ghost Story, an everyday Horror Story. Marlina (Marsha Timothy), a widow, is waiting to bring her livestock to market so that she can afford a funeral for her husband who is mummified in a corner of her house. Markus (Egy Fedly) A violent crook arrives and informs her that he and his gang are going to rob her animals and rape her. Marlina manages to poison most of robbers and beheads Markus as he attacks her, She then decides to report the matter to the police, carrying the crook's head with her. She meets up with her friend Novi (Dea Panendra) who is ten months pregnant and searching for her husband. Novi has her own problems, due to local superstitions her husband believes her late delivery is due to adultery. The quest is joined by a woman who is bringing horses as part of a dowry for her nephews wedding.In this, director Mouly Surya's third film, she has made what has been described as the first Satay Western. Instead of horses, motorbikes ride along the skyline, Marlina, a woman, is the lone avenger who has few words to impart. When she does try to speak she is basically ignored by the police, they will check things out in a few days, they tell her to visit a doctor at her own expense to collect evidence. Wisely she doesn't show them the robber's head. Glorious Western style vistas are contrasted with dark indoor scenes with varying shades of brown/umber, shots are framed through doors and windowsMarkus appears again and again, as a headless corpse, squatting and strumming on a stringed instrument, then following her along a road. It is really surreal to see Marlina waiting for a bus at the roadside, the head of Markus hanging by her side. The scenery is not what you would expect of Indonesia, here on Sumba there are arid flatlands and lightly forested rolling hills. There are folk songs in the local Sumba dialect which has French, English and Spanish loan words. The film heads towards it's resolution as Mrlina is pursued by the surviving gang members.A masterpiece of blended genres. 9/10.

This movie will serve you an "adventure" of a local widow in her struggle of survival and her attempt to have justice for her. The settings of the story is in Sumba which is shown as vast land of withered meadow where people are strongly bound to unique/unusual norms and cultures.As an Indonesian myself I am surprised by the environment in the movie. They are really unusual and look really harsh yet they are still relatable in the daily life. I feel that I may had met people who have same characters and witnessed various situations like in the movie.

Four acts may sound like a lot and for some people the movie may feel very slow. It is indeed slow, so just don't expect any big bangs or a story that will have a Hollywood flair to it. Having said that and mixing into it that there is a certain degree of predictability. Still there is shocking moments and this may not be for the faint of hearted.It's not like it is very explicit in its violence depiction, but you'll get the idea (no pun intended). Some may have issues with the movie being "feminist". I do not feel there being a negative energy with a strong female lead. Also there is still a lot of bad male characters. Which generally is something I don't like - one sided portrayl, but it does work for this movie. I don't agree with everything in here, but this is more than decent

"Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts" is a very daring film, as it has some very strong feminist messages…yet it was made in Indonesia…a country with a majority Muslim and very traditional population. This just goes to show that you cannot automatically assume what a film will be like just because of where it was made. The story begins with Marlina being visited by a thug named Markus who announces that his gang will soon be joining them there…and they intend to rob and rape her now that they know her husband has died and cannot protect her! What is Marlina to do? Well, she is no typical lady and uses her wits. When ordered to cook for the men, she manages to poison four of them. Then, in the midst of Markus raping her, she fights back…beheading the guy with a single blow! The two other gang members were not present…and Marlina needs to get out of the house before they return. But remember…she is no typical lady. So, with the head of Markus in tow, she heads off on a long trek to town to inform the police of what she's done and enlist their help. Unfortunately, she finds the police to be completely indifferent to her plight. Soon after this, she receives a call from her friend…and she learns that the pregnant woman is being held captive by one of the gang members and he now dares Marlina to come to her rescue!Throughout the film, most of the men on the island seem like jerks….not all, but most. Despite mistreating her and her friend, however, she maintains her demand for justice and isn't about to run away scared. Again and again, the sexist attitudes are clearly demonstrated…and the two women stand up for what's right and the film presents rather convincing feminist messages. My only regret is the rape scene…it's problematic. I hate seeing vivid rape scenes for many reasons. One is that anyone watching such a graphic scene might experience some Post-traumatic reactions to watching it… imagining once again what it was like to be victimized. Another is that by showing a bit too much, some viewers might be a bit turned on by the rape. Because of this, think twice about seeing the film… or perhaps consider seeing it with someone you love. But despite my misgivings, the film is an amazing and surprising story...and deserves to be seen.