Monisme
Press Play to start
Theatrical Screenings
Kinoteka 2
Kinoteka 2
Online Availability
Additional Materials
Film description
Merapi is the most active volcano in the world – a mountain on Indonesian Java, a space of worship, the subject of many legends and beliefs. It is also a training ground for conflicts caused by the self-proclaimed authorities – paramilitary fanatics fighting with local volcanologists. The disturbing atmosphere around the sacred site raises the interest of independent filmmakers, striving to capture its character in the form of a socially engaged documentary. Images of violence and abuse are mixed with trance visions of rituals, with the majesty of the volcano resonating in the background. Its eruptions gain symbolic meaning, resembling anger towards the painful, bloody reality of Indonesia.
"Monisme" is one of the most organic films of recent years. It shows how film language can be used to push narrative boundaries. In Rizaldi's film, saturated with philosophy, the sacred Mount Merapi becomes a living organism, filled with spiritual presence. In an attempt to capture the energy of the place, the filmmakers used authentic exorcisms, and their direction was set by the spirits of Merapi themselves, with whom they spoke through a medium. Balancing on the border of ethno-fiction, nostalgic horror and performance, "Monism" is a cinematic phenomenon, a strange assemblage combining magic with scientific thought to present the environment of Merapi in a transformative form.
text:
Łukasz Mańkowski
Riar Rizaldi
2014 Panorama (Short)
2019 Kasiterit (Short)
2020 Tellurian Drama (Short)
2021 Ghost Like Us (Short)
2022 Notes from Gog Magog
2023 Monizm / Monisme