‘Indigo’ Netflix Movie Review - I Can See Ghosts

The opening scenes of Rocky Soraya's Indigo reminded me of the Insidious franchise. Here, too, a psychic hides the memories of a child who can see demons. The name of this child is Zora (Amna Hasanah Shahab plays the younger version of this character, and Amanda Manopo steps in when this girl grows up). She is an "Indigo" - a term used to describe people with a sixth sense who can communicate with spirits. Or, more appropriately, she was an "Indigo" before the psychic Sekar (Sara Wijayanto) blocked her special abilities. Years later, we meet Zora's young sister, Ninda (Nicole Rossi), and find out she is also an "Indigo." The ghost who used to haunt a young Zora has now returned to possess Ninda. The name of this ghost is Widuri (Rina Ritonga). She wants to live in a human's body.

Like many other horror movies, Indigo almost instantly prompts you to mock the decisions made by the characters in the story. For instance, at first, Zora doesn't believe in Ninda's complaints regarding supernatural sightings. But even after seeing a cloth taking the shape of a body, she doesn't immediately accept that something unnatural is present in her surroundings (she dismisses Sekar's words as rubbish). Also, can someone please explain to me why the characters in the horror films continue to follow the dumb rule of walking alone in buildings and corridors at night? If you know someone close to you is being tormented by a spirit, will you leave them by themselves in their room or stay with them to ensure their safety?

Moments like these take you out of Indigo, which is a pity because its ghostly routines are executed quite competently. I was creeped out by the sight of a possessed Zora running towards her victim with a knife. Then again, many of these eerie clichés lose their strength due to a lack of originality. A silhouette behind a curtain, a body floating close to a woman, and a phantom rising from a bathtub are all trite images. When a character is placed near a window, you instantly predict what will happen to her next. When Indigo works, it looks like a well-oiled machine. But its pleasures are minor, and they come inconsistently.

There comes a point in the film when exposition is dumped through multiple flashbacks, which are meant to be emotional as well as shocking. Yet, they only drain away the momentum, the energy built by the film. Indigo, unsurprisingly, leaves things hanging. A sequel is promised. Perhaps next time, Soraya and his team won't give us caricatures like those businessmen who laugh like cartoon villains. Were they not informed that they were going to work in a horror film? Now, that's some mystery.

Final Score- [4.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times