Summary
Qorin is a 2022 Indonesian supernatural horror film taking place in a conservative Islamic boarding school in Indonesia where silence, adherence, and structure is highly disciplined and regulated. The plot centers on Zahra, a model student on her final year. Deeply devoted to the rules, Zahra earns respect from the teachers and admiration from her peers. Everything begins to fall apart in her world with the arrival of a new and rebellious student, Yolanda. Yolanda, new to the school, does not care about traditions and begins to defy the norms of the school.
Zahra, in a bid to secure her standing and avoid trouble, is tasked with the challenging role of reigning Yolanda in. A series of startlingly school-wide nightmares and dark visions commence. The oppressive and enigmatic Ustad Jaelani is the turning point of the narrative– a stern teacher who introduces an ancient ritual to the ‘temptations’ they need to cleanse themselves of causing a shift in their reality.
Students remain unaware that the ritual is connected to a mystical and perilous practice concerning the summoning of their Qorin, which is a shadow or doppelgänger that symbolizes the darker facets of their being. Upon summoning, the Qorin acts out the repressed emotions, rage, and secrets of its human partner. The school is thrown into chaos as students are tormented by violent mirrors of themselves.
Zahra comes to the chilling conclusion that compliance does not grant someone the privilege of avoiding the truth. She starts to investigate the religious discipline and authoritarian control of the school and uncover the deeper layers of corruption, facing not only her own personal demons, but an ancient, malevolent force that seeks total annihilation.
Qorin is not solely a horror film. It seeks to delve into the psychological and cultural examination of the pressures of piety, identity, trauma, and the environment that expects unblemished spirituality.
Cast & Crew
Director: Ginanti Rona Tembang Asri
Her stylistic approach complements the themes of Islamic mythology, traditional ghost stories, and contemporary psychological horror. Asri utilizes an atmospheric approach to build tension and employs slow-burning dread and subtle imagery rather than sharp frightening moments.
Writers: Lele Laila and Ginanti Rona
The script integrates supernatural horror with social commentary, analyzing themes of repression, identity, and religious exploitation. It sketches a complex picture of a highly regimented institution where belief intertwines with fear.
Main Cast:
Zulfa Maharani as Zahra: The role is awarded to her and performed with great subtlety. Zahra is predisposed to support the school but increasingly realizes its dark secrets.
Aghniny Haque as Yolanda: The new student is bold and rebellious, Aghniny’s s energizing and unpredictable performance propels the story forward.
Omar Daniel as Ustad Jaelani: The teacher with a more chilling and complex set of underlying motives than what is immediately evident in his demeanor.
Supporting the leading performers, the pupils Dea Annisa, Naima Aljufri, Yusuf Mahardika, Putri Ayudya, and Cindy Nirmala, add to the school’s atmosphere, contributing to the tension and the emotions forming the charged, volatile school climate.
Crew Highlights:
Arfian’s Cinematography puts a spotlight on elements within the composition that invoke suffocating horror through the use of claustrophobic balance to the use of shadow and light.
Emphasizing spiritual horror, Aria Prayogi’s Original Score uses ominous and minimalistic motifs to further deepen the chilling atmosphere.
Wawan I. Wibowo’s Editing enhances the story’s tension, particularly during supernatural scenes, by maintaining fluid yet sharp pacing.
Themes and Symbolism
Qorin encapsulates the mystical and folkloric aspects of Islam. The idea of a Qorin—spiritual twin or shadow self—has parallels in Islamic circles. In the movie, these doppelgängers manifest as physical representations of the characters’ internalized guilt, fears, and trauma.
Obedience and self-awareness serve as one of the most potent thematic clashes in the film. Zahra exemplifies a blind follower, a persona defined by unquestioning compliance. Yolanda, however, is the antithesis of Zahra; she stands for individualism, defiance, and the search for the truth. The interplay of the two characters fuels a majority of the narrative conflict.
In addition, the film provides commentary on religious fanaticism and the sociopolitical abuse of power. The school, which is meant to be a place of spiritual sanctuary, turns into a place of fear, and the trusted religious figure is revealed to be both abusive and morally bankrupt. Through the lens of faith, this vacuum of authority provides a stark commentary on the abuse of power.
Silence—whether physical or emotional—also serve as a recurring motif. Students are expected to be silent in the presence of abuse and trauma. The Qorin brutally interrupts that silence and forces characters to face the whos suppressed parts of their selves.
Critical Reception and Impact
Qorin garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film’s atmospheric and psychological horror elements, rather than its jump scares, were most lauded. While its slow pacing allows for character development and a detailed exploration of their emotional worlds, some viewers believe the latter half waters down momentum.
Zulfa Maharani’s performance as Zahra won acclaim for her subtle and layered portrayal of a deeply devoted Zahra who evolves into a reluctant truth seeker. Aghniny Haque’s portrayal of Yolanda also enhanced the film’s emotional depth and added complexity and intensity to its core.
Critics praised the film’s production design, sound mixing, and cinematography. The utilization of school uniforms, narrow hallways, and scant light merged to form a visual symbolism of repression and fear.
Qorin’s primary criticism remains its final act, which some viewers felt was too hurried and chaotic. The strain of psychological tension snaps in place of traditional horror elements, and the film’s denouement remains unsatisfyingly cryptic.
Regardless, the film earns its recognition next to other contemporary horror films from Southeast Asia for its fresh take rooted in cultural context, thematic ambition, and stylized direction.
Conclusion
Qorin distinguishes itself as a film of horror that does more than intellectually frighten; it provokes and introspects. As the film’s setting is within a religious school, it forms a compelling and evocative space where fear is not only supernatural, but is also institutional. It makes the audiences wonder how trauma, repression, and belief converge restrictively, and what transpires when the soul is strained too much in the name of obedience.
By employing mythology, horror, and a sharp critique of the dynamics of power, Qorin is successful in rendering emotionally impactful and sophisticated the experience of watching it. While the film may not provide constant, attention-grabbing thrills, it does offer a more profound experience that endures over time: the bones of stillness and echoes of the frightful beings dwelling within us that arise when the truth within is consigned, silenced.
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