The Book of Sijjin and Illiyyin
Sat
18
Sat 18 Oct 8:30 PM
Palace Nova Eastend: Cinema 4
General Admission
Unclassified 18+
98 MinsYuli has never known belonging. Born into tragedy, she is raised in her father’s household as a servant to her stepmother Ambar and half-sister Laras, who treat her with disdain. Her humiliation festers until she seeks the guidance of a shaman, exhumes an ancestor’s corpse, and summons a djinn. Night after night, the ritual deepens, binding her anguish to a power older than faith. The horrors that follow are relentless. Ambar and Laras face grotesque punishments: bodies distorted, voices shrieking from the unseen, blood soaking the home that once confined Yuli.
Director Hadrah Daeng Ratu situates the story within Indonesia’s Islamic tradition, invoking the metaphysical ledgers of Sijjin and Illiyyin, where sin and righteousness are inscribed. What begins as a possession tale becomes a meditation on the corrosive weight of vengeance and the shattering of belief. Yunita Siregar grounds the film with a performance of quiet fury, while Hani Pradigya’s cinematography and visceral practical effects forge images that linger long after. This is horror steeped in cultural specificity, terrifying in both body and spirit.
Director Hadrah Daeng Ratu situates the story within Indonesia’s Islamic tradition, invoking the metaphysical ledgers of Sijjin and Illiyyin, where sin and righteousness are inscribed. What begins as a possession tale becomes a meditation on the corrosive weight of vengeance and the shattering of belief. Yunita Siregar grounds the film with a performance of quiet fury, while Hani Pradigya’s cinematography and visceral practical effects forge images that linger long after. This is horror steeped in cultural specificity, terrifying in both body and spirit.