Yusron Fuadi directed a little genre delight that released late last year to Indonesian cinemas in the form of The Draft!, which now makes its way to Fantastic Fest for its International Premiere. It centers on five college friends – Ani (Anggi Waluyo), Iwan (Adhin Abdul Hakim), Wati (Anastasia Herzigova), Budi (Ibrahim Alhami), and Amir (Winner Wijaya) who set out for a getaway to a remote villa owned by Ani’s uncle (Ernanta Kusuma), only to bear witness to an increasing presence of strange events and apparitions, and gory afflictions that are somehow all summed up to one surprising conclusion.
It’s a little hard to explain without giving the goods away, but what I can say is that the story does take awhile to develop as the darker and more sinister aspects of the story set in. Additionally, it is interesting that this film is billed as a horror comedy which might be easier to notice as the story progresses and the absurdities begin to appear. They definitely blare on screen quite a bit too, especially when our characters start to piece things together for why it is people are suddenly dying and the environment starts to take on a life of its own at times.
The opening shot of the movie is a cliffside with a dialogue build up of voices heard before an object takes a fiery plunge off. The following shot is drone footage of a rural green region filmed sideways which then pans down onto a road during the credits, moments before we meet our characters – a few of whom therein meet their demise, to some degree; That last part I wrote was intentional too, and that’s where the more ludicrous plot points start to surface. It does take some effort before it all starts making sense, and for what it’s worth, it’s very intriguing material to absorb, flashbacks and all.
The Draft! only increases in fun well into the second half as hour would-be heroes find themselves fortified in the villa fending off supernatural evils surrounding them, including a massive horde of zombies with a surprise arsenal of weapons at their disposal. Indeed though, if you’ve already read the programming notes or possibly other spoilery reviews of this film then you already might have an idea where things go from here; Fuadi’s film definitely plays on a few genre tropes fans might be familiar with fans. The best part is that the more you watch, the more immersive and exciting it gets, and that’s because the story is just that inventive and compelling.
If you haven’t seen The Draft! yet and you’re not jaded by the info that’s already out there, then you’re totally in for a thrill from Fuadi and his team. It’s got a great approach with a story that thinks outside the box as any ambitious horror film should. Conclusively, it also has a cast worth rooting for in a gratifying horror sci-fi that sees a band of plucky, percipient heroes dare to shape their own ending, no matter the odds.
The Draft! enjoyed its International Premiere at the 19th edition of Fantastic Fest.