REVIEW: ‘Roh,’ Malaysia’s official Oscar entry, now on DVD
Photo: Roh is a new horror movie and Malaysia’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. Photo courtesy of Film Movement / Provided by Foundry Comm with permission.
Roh, the new horror movie from writer-director Emir Ezwan, is an intimate tale of a family who lives in a bamboo forest in Malaysia and how they must face an unspeakable horror in the form of a mysterious little girl. The film is effective at building characters and atmosphere, plus the chills are well-earned, even if they are not terrifying.
In a small home made of bamboo shoots reside a mother and her two children. They live a life tied to the environment that surrounds them, what the back cover of the DVD states as “far from civilization.” Perhaps that’s why it’s so unexpected when a girl, covered in dirt and seemingly in pain, turns up at their forest doorstep, almost like a ghost with a deadly premonition. The two children welcome the girl, realizing that she needs help, but the mother is not convinced that all is what it seems. A neighbor who lives on a nearby hill offers some help and advice, but time is of the essence because the prophecy of this little girl may soon come true.
There are no jump-out-of-one’s-skin scares in Roh. Instead, this is a thinking-person’s horror movie, one steeped in legend and spirituality at the intersection of belief and storytelling. Knowing what might be coming next is secondary to the overall cinematic experience because Ezwan is skilled at laying out the clues and having the plot naturally build upon itself, to the point where the blood starts flowing and the violence seems unavoidable.
The performances are believable and heartfelt. Namron plays Pemburu, and Mhia Farhana is quite skilled as Along. But there truly is not a weak link in the ensemble.
Rather than taking the story away from this mother and her two children, Ezwan keeps the focus on the family unit and their residence in the woods, seemingly cut off from rest of the world. This was a smart choice because that’s the chief strength of Roh, which is now available on DVD from Film Movement and Kuman Pictures. The atmospherics and mood of the film are much creepier than any individual character or plot point. The movie works as well it does because of the sum of its individual parts, because of its ability to spiral slowly toward the inevitable horror.
Roh, which is Malay for “soul,” is scary and unsettling, a faith-based story that feels all too real.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Roh (2019). In Malay with English subtitles. Written and directed by Emir Ezwan. Starring Farah Ahmad, Mhia Farhana, Harith Haziq, Nam Ron, Junainah M. Lojong and Putri Syahadah Nurqaseh. Running time: 83 minutes. Not Rated. Rating: 
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