I was intrigued by the title of this movie, with all the possibilities it carried, but it didn't live up to that atmosphere. I think the concept could have been pulled off with a lot more intensity and mystery.
I am confounded as to how some viewers could never see L.H. as other than male, with her old-lady voice, face and ambiguous form. When the name "Billy" first registered, I did a double-take. I had assumed she/he was a stunted woman from the start.
She's a good actress, but I don't find S.W. all that attractive (something about her jawline and build), so I didn't see the powerful draw she had. A more alluring woman would have made the film stronger for me.
A number of action scenes seemed reckless and unrealistic, like when they took the dangerous mob scene as a half-joke, and later smashed through the curfew barrier and got shot at, but nobody gave chase. Because of such casual attitudes, I didn't get the sense of "menace" described by other people. The swimming pool scene & dream was the sort of tension I'd expected throughout, but it seemed randomly placed.
The pending revolution was minimally explained, as if we were already supposed to know the full setting. That accounted in large part for the lack of menace I felt, but many films fail to give details that books cover.
Not a bad movie, but just not that memorable. I think some of the highest praisers had previous knowledge of Indonesia and were basking in the whole concept, not so much the movie itself.
I am confounded as to how some viewers could never see L.H. as other than male, with her old-lady voice, face and ambiguous form. When the name "Billy" first registered, I did a double-take. I had assumed she/he was a stunted woman from the start.
She's a good actress, but I don't find S.W. all that attractive (something about her jawline and build), so I didn't see the powerful draw she had. A more alluring woman would have made the film stronger for me.
A number of action scenes seemed reckless and unrealistic, like when they took the dangerous mob scene as a half-joke, and later smashed through the curfew barrier and got shot at, but nobody gave chase. Because of such casual attitudes, I didn't get the sense of "menace" described by other people. The swimming pool scene & dream was the sort of tension I'd expected throughout, but it seemed randomly placed.
The pending revolution was minimally explained, as if we were already supposed to know the full setting. That accounted in large part for the lack of menace I felt, but many films fail to give details that books cover.
Not a bad movie, but just not that memorable. I think some of the highest praisers had previous knowledge of Indonesia and were basking in the whole concept, not so much the movie itself.