Posesif

Posesif is a 2017 Indonesian psychological drama film directed by Edwin and written by Gina S. Noer, starring Putri Marino and Adipati Dolken. The film was released on 26 October 2017.
The film focuses on a couple of high school students in a turbulent relationship. The film was well received by critics and audiences alike and garnered 10 nominations at the 37th Citra Awards, including Best Picture. It won three: Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor.

Synopsis

Lala Anindhita is a platform diving athlete in her final year of high school in Jakarta. Since her mother died, she feels her world is complete with her father, and her two friends, Rino and Ega. Even though her father is quite strict, Lala remains good-spirited.
At school, while helping her teacher, Lala meets Yudhis Ibrahim, a transfer student who immediately gets into trouble with a teacher. The two students are disciplined and they are made to walk the around the school oval with their shoelaces tied to each other's. They are humiliated in front of the whole school, but they bond through the experience and later start dating.
Lala's father, while nonchalant about her dating, begins to notice that her athletic and academic discipline is wavering. At the same time, Yudhis begins to show possessive behaviour and wants Lala to be by his side at all times.

Cast

Putri Marino as Lala, a high school athlete
Adipati Dolken as Yudhis, a transfer student
Gritte Agatha as Ega
Chicco Kurniawan as Rino
Cut Mini as Yudhis' mother
Yayu Unru as Lala's father
Ismail Basbeth as sports teacher
Maulidina Putri as Jihan
Pranarta as Lala's coach

Themes

Posesif explores themes of violence within relationships.
Screenwriter Gina S. Noer conducted six months of research on the topic for the film's production, finding that violence typically manifests in the first phases of dating relationships, and most frequently affects women aged 13 to 24 years.

Release

The film received theatrical release in Indonesia on 26 October 2017, and is classified by Lembaga Sensor Film as suitable for ages 13 and above.

Reception

Box office

Posesif performed moderately at the box office with a reported 170,000 admissions during its run, making it Edwin's most commercially successful release to date.

Critical response

Posesif received mixed reviews. Puput Juniman of CNN Indonesia praised the film for avoiding tropes and cliché storylines as well as for Edwin's direction, the cast performances, and Batara Goempar's cinematography. Aulia Adam of Tirto.id highlighted the film's portrayal of a toxic relationship and how it plays in a patriarchal society, but felt that the film left some important questions unanswered. Bernadetta Yucki of Cultura gave it a 3.5 out of 5, writing "the blend of romantic drama and a touch of thriller in this film is still not executed optimally due to certain "limitations". Bavner Donaldo of Cinejour gave it a 4.5 out of 5, writing "Posesif is able to tell a story simply, making us question its meaning again, until finally we are carried away and swept away by its story." Meanwhile, according to ScreenDaily, Posesif often proves that there are good intentions that go astray; an attempt to dive deeper but instead tempted back into a comfortable pattern.