Susuk
Directed byAmir Muhammad
Naeim Ghalili
Written byRajesh Nair
Produced byAhmad Puad Onah
Rosihan Zain
Naeim Ghalili
StarringIda Nerina
Adlin Aman Ramlie
Diana Rafar
Sofea Jane
Hairie Othman
Noorkhiriah
Edited byIsazaly Mohd Isa
Music byHardesh Singh
Production
companies
Grand Brilliance
Monsoon Pictures
Release date
  • 7 August 2008 (2008-08-07) (Malaysia)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryMalaysia
LanguageMalay
Box officeMYR 3.7 milion

Susuk[1] (English: Implant) is a 2008 Malaysian Malay-language horror film which was released on 7 August 2008 in Malaysia. The film is directed by Amir Muhammad and Naeim Ghalili. The story concerns Soraya, who uses the forbidden practice of susuk to be famous.[2][3]

Plot

Soraya is a young trainee nurse who is starting to feel disaffected by her life. A chance introduction to the world of glamour piques her earlier ambition to be a star. She does not succeed at first, but she is told that the forbidden practice of susuk can help. She has to make a choice whether to stay the way she is, or cross the line. At first, susuk seems to give her confidence in her performance, and even to stand up to her abusive brother-in-law.

Meanwhile, Suzana is a prominent diva with an air of mystery. She has long been a practitioner of the black arts due to her use of the extreme susuk keramat. Every time she violates a taboo, a human life is required - first in the form of accidental deaths of her loved ones, then by outright murder and cannibalism. She develops inhuman, supernatural abilities. At the same time, she yearns for her more innocent days and hires a young assistant who reminds her of "happier times".

A mysterious and powerful dukun guides the two women down their paths to corruption. The viewers follow the lives of these two women until their stories converge in the true secret of this dreaded charm.

Cast

Special appearances

Scenes involving Jaclyn Victor, Waheeda, David Teo, and Sharifah Aleya however have been cut in the film editing process.[4][5]

Production

The film is Muhammad's only genre film so far.[6]

Awards and nominations

The film was nominated in nine categories in the 21st Malaysian Film Festival, 2008 and won three of the categories.

Won

Nominated

Reception

Reception of the film was very polarised.[7][8] The film was, however, a box office success in Malaysia.[9]

References

  1. ^ "These 11 Movies Will Make Your Malaysian Heart Swell with Pride". 22 February 2016.
  2. ^ Susuk (2008) | MUBI, retrieved 3 January 2024
  3. ^ Atkinson, Michael (13 March 2008). Exile Cinema: Filmmakers at Work beyond Hollywood. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-7861-5.
  4. ^ Deleted Scene 1
  5. ^ Saw, Tiong Guan (2013). Film Censorship in the Asia-Pacific Region: Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Australia Compared. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-65689-4.
  6. ^ Baumgärtel, Tilman (1 January 2012). Southeast Asian Independent Cinema: Essays, Documents, Interviews. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-988-8083-60-2.
  7. ^ "IFFR 2009: SUSUK Review". ScreenAnarchy. 30 April 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Susuk | IFFR". iffr.com. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  9. ^ Weintraub, Andrew N. (20 April 2011). Islam and Popular Culture in Indonesia and Malaysia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-81229-3.

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