20 Best Movies to Watch In Indonesian (Page 2)

Find the best Indonesian-language movies to watch. These movies in Indonesian are: highly-rated by critics, highly-rated by viewers, and handpicked by our staff.

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16. Air Mata di Ujung Sajadah, 2023

Air Mata di Ujung Sajadah tugs at the heartstrings because it recognizes the pain of losing one’s child, whether that be to elopement, death, or to their biological parent. This, with a stirring score, and the tears of Titi Kamal and Citra Kirana, makes Aqilla and Yumna easy to root for, as they try to settle who would best be Baskara’s mother. It’s not an easy decision, and the film thankfully refrains from turning either woman to be an antagonist. However, all the sorrow, pain, and suffering hinges on Halimah’s decision, that, in the first place, shouldn’t have been possible. As the film plays out into its inevitable conclusion, the journey there is heartwarming, maybe even tearjerking, but it doesn’t feel as satisfying as it could have been if Halimah dealt with the consequences of her actions.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Citra Kirana, Dendy Subangil, Fedi Nuril, Krisjiana Baharudin, Mbok Tun, Muhammad Faqih Alaydrus, Titi Kamal, Tutie Kirana

Director: Key Mangunsong

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17. Primbon, 2023

Plenty of missing people stories don’t get resolved, so understandably, all their loved ones can do is contemplate the potential horrors that could have happened to them, like being lost and needing to survive, or being kidnapped, or, of course, being dead. Primbon is a story where a missing girl returns home, though her return seems suspicious, at least, according to Javanese superstition. So much could have been made with this premise. They could have delved into Rana’s possible trauma from the reason she was lost, or the way these superstitions hinder these victims from receiving help from others. The film at least shines during the moments between Dini, her mom, and Rana, as they try to get back to normal. But in prioritizing the family, Primbon is torn between being a family drama versus being a supernatural horror film, and ultimately fails at being both.Genre: Horror
Actor: Azela Putri, Chicco Kurniawan, Flavio Zaviera, Happy Salma, Jajang C. Noer, Nugie, Whani Darmawan
Director: Rudy Soedjarwo

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18. Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso, 2023

All the little twists in the case of Mirna Salihin's murder are intriguing enough to speculate over, so Ice Cold is definitely a true-crime case worth revisiting. The problem is in how the documentary indulges sensationalist arguments and pure speculation with the same level of urgency as it does with expert counsel. A large part of the film has to do with how this trial started to become such a fixture in Indonesian public life, but it feels as if the movie would rather provoke even more baseless conspiracies through its gossipy tone than provide smarter analysis. There's an appeal to how simple this case is relative to other true-crime stories, but this shouldn't be an excuse to haphazardly throw opposing perspectives at each other for the sake of drama.

Genre: Crime, Documentary

Actor: Edi Darmawan Salihin, Jessica Wongso, Marcella Zalianty, Mirna Salihin, Otto Hasibuan

Director: Rob Sixsmith

Rating: PG-13

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19. Melodate (2024)

There’s a unique boarding school charm in Melodate, as the philosophical Melody is able to turn the dorm around through the sheer force of her personality. It’s the type of charisma plenty of school girls would want, the kind that creates Queen Bees that can change the entire status quo, for better (by changing clearly dated rules) or for worse (by bringing her whole dorm to a bar). Therefore, her clear antagonist is dorm administrator Mrs. Rasti, who happens to be Melody’s boyfriend’s mom. To its credit, the film doesn’t demonize either Melody or Mrs. Rasti, and there’s an interesting exploration on how much freedom should these children have, and how much control parents and authorities should have over their kids, but the way these topics are handled are illogical, inorganic, and convoluted, especially when they add in Nadia’s storyline.Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Aida Nurmala, Caitlin Halderman, Greesella Adhalia, Jourdy Pranata, Tiwi Helmer
Director: Ainun Ridho

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20. Hello Ghost (2023)

Not to be confused with the Taiwanese remake, Hello Ghost is the Indonesian adaptation of the 2010 Korean hit. There is one thing to appreciate in this film– it’s clear that the cast, particularly Kresna and his four ghosts, have an easygoing dynamic and playful chemistry with each other. However, the film botches our introduction with their characters. Instead of acknowledging his struggles, Hello Ghost tries to skip straight to the ghosts’ antics and the romance between Kresna and Linda. Without that character set-up, the film’s jokes fall flat, and comes across as an insensitive depiction of suicide and mental illness.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Enzy Storia, Hesti Purwadinata, Indro, Onadio Leonardo, Tora Sudiro

Director: Indra Gunawan

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