Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts

Sporting the visual formalism of films by Quentin Tarantino and Sergio Leone, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is an intriguing Indonesian Western. Recent widow Marlina (Marsha Timothy) keeps the mummified body of her late husband at home since she is unable to pay the steep price of a burial. Her somber, grieving aspect makes her a sympathetic figure, especially after a gang of criminals takes over her house, orders Marlina to feed them, and then makes plans to rape her. The four chapters comprising the film follow Marlina as she pursues revenge in a methodical and successful way, hitting the road to track her assailants. But the most powerful element here is the elegant framing of shots and entire scenes by director Mouly Surya, who captures even the most emotionally dark moments in painterly long shots. A solid genre movie that is confident in its most obvious influences—which include an Ennio Morricone-like score—this is recommended. (T. Keogh)