TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Ferocity is a window to humanity in Timo Tjahjanto's 'The Shadow Strays'
Director, writer, and producer Timo Tjahjanto and his lead actor, Aurora Ribero, discuss their latest action-thriller.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Bloodbath: “The Shadow Strays“, directed by Timo Tjahjanto, premiered on Netflix on Oct. 17. The movie stars Aurora Ribero as the main character, as well as Hana Malasan, Ali Fikry and Adipati Dolken. (Courtesy of Netflix/-)
W
ith his latest filmography entry, the bold-and-bloody The Shadow Strays, it is as if a gnawing hypothesis has been proven: that Timo Tjahjanto is, indeed, a storyteller of brokenness. Broken people trying to survive in a broken world has been the red thread that connects all of Timo's feature films thus far, but The Shadow Strays pulls this thread into a much deeper inferno.
"I think it speaks a lot about the world we live in," Timo humbly responded to that observation in a conversation with The Jakarta Post on Oct. 3.
"As much as I find living in Jakarta overwhelming sometimes, I always feel that this place is both beautiful and sad. Its people, in a bigger picture, are trying to find their identity and, considering how we are also living in a social media-driven world, many people are actually cold, lonely, distant and disconnected from reality, especially the younger generation."
Premiered on Netflix on Oct. 17, The Shadow Strays tells the story of a teen assassin code-named 13 (portrayed by Citra Award-nominee Aurora Ribero) who sets out to rescue a young boy from harm at the risk of facing off with her syndicate, as well as her instructor-cum-mentor. The film also stars Hana Malasan (Night Bus), Ali Fikry (24 Hours with Gaspar) and Adipati Dolken (Paper Boat).
Subdued humanity
Despite its genre, it would be a mistake to assume that The Shadow Strays is merely an extension of Timo's previous action-thriller oeuvre. This time around, Jakarta serves as one of the filmmaker's megalithic muses, which also shapes the film's characters, main setting and pervading tone.
"Jakarta is fascinating," he remarked, "because it's a place that I love dearly, but, at the same time, it's a terrifying place to be in. I tried to reflect Jakarta, as well as its people, in this film, albeit in a much more hyperbolic fashion."
