Antikalpa
Plot
Saat matahari terbenam di atas lingkungan tenang kuil ortodoks, kehidupan Ah Dai mengalami perubahan tak terduga ketika kekasih masa kecilnya, Yufan, mendekatinya dengan permohonan bantuan. Bibinya, seorang sosok misterius dan sulit dipahami, telah menghilang, hanya menyisakan pesan samar yang mengisyaratkan konspirasi gelap. Didorong oleh rasa tugas dan kesetiaan kepada Yufan, Ah Dai setuju untuk bergabung dengan tim pencari, tanpa menyadari jalan berliku yang menanti. Saat mereka menyelidiki lebih dalam misteri ini, mereka menemukan jaring rahasia dan kebohongan yang mengancam untuk menjungkirbalikkan fondasi komunitas mereka. Saat Ah Dai menavigasi medan berbahaya ini, dia mendapati dirinya terjerat dalam tarian kompleks perebutan kekuasaan, tradisi kuno, dan agenda tersembunyi. Dengan setiap wahyu baru, dia harus menghadapi kompas moralnya sendiri dan menghadapi kenyataan pahit yang terletak di bawah eksterior tenang kuil. Melalui serangkaian peristiwa surealis dan seringkali meresahkan, Ah Dai dan Yufan memulai perjalanan berbahaya untuk mengungkap kebenaran tentang bibi Yufan yang hilang. Saat mereka menggali lebih dalam, mereka mulai mengungkap kisah sejarah yang terlupakan, ritual yang sejak lama terlupakan, dan rahasia kuno yang telah disembunyikan selama berabad-abad. Seiring taruhannya semakin tinggi, Ah Dai harus menghadapi iblisnya sendiri dan membuat pilihan yang mustahil antara tugasnya sebagai anggota pendeta kuil dan cintanya kepada Yufan. Akankah dia dapat mengungkap kebenaran di balik hilangnya bibi Yufan, atau akankah rahasia yang terkubur di bawah permukaan kuil menghancurkan mereka berdua?
Ulasan
Ashton
The script and narrative are quite terrible, with simplistic character motivations. The protagonist's emotional drama is overly cliché (and the added theme song at the end is just tacky). The performances by the young actors are mediocre. The "ghost hand" design feels forced and unnatural; it feels largely insignificant except for its inexplicable use at the end. However, the latter half of the film's emphasis on the folklore's ritualistic elements, along with a few scenes of gore and possession, are decent and are, to some extent, better than "The Rope Curse 3."
Olivia
Honestly, it's nothing special. Compared to the money-laundering productions in mainland China, the only difference is a slightly higher budget, but the quality isn't much better. The whole story is a very cliché curse tale, wrapped in a so-called "atonement" shell. Religious elements are an inherent advantage of so-called "folk horror films" (I put that in quotes because I don't think this genre exists in the first place; "folk" is too superficial), but they can also become limitations and shackles. Using readily available religious elements can easily become a lazy shortcut. And aside from these "ready-made products" and "pre-made meals," there's absolutely nothing genuinely "horrifying" created. Not only is the story trite...
Raelynn
The director owes me an apology. I wasted 70 yuan on a ticket expecting to see a horror film in the theater, not a cheesy romance between two idiots. Seriously, is it too much to ask that a horror movie not spend two-thirds of its time on a love story? The female lead is pathetically stupid, and the male lead is a hopeless romantic... just get out!
Ariana
Don't give me romance in a horror movie! I'm genuinely mad! Does everyone think they can just walk all over me because I don't explode with anger?!
Paola
The opening scene is the scariest part of the whole film. The rest of the horror comes from ugly men and women constantly making out on motorcycles. Can't you all just go die somewhere?
Luna
The film masterfully balances the mystical with deeply human emotions, exploring themes of tradition and love in a way that feels both timeless and refreshingly modern.
