You will find people who love jumpscare, horrific and disturbing scenes in horror movies, who could bravely watch the whole film without even hiding their eyes or themselves. There are countless horror films, but only a select few leave an impression on us and remain indelible in our memories.
One such film from the previous year was released in 2022. The audience had mixed emotions regarding this movie. Few enjoyed it like any other horror film; on the other hand, few did not like it and said it was a time waste for them.
IDN Pictures’ Qorin is a horror religious Indonesian film released on the 1st of December 2022 in Indonesia cinema. Lele Laila and Ginanti Rona worked on the writing part of the film under the direction of Ginanti Rona. The runtime of the Qorin is 109 minutes. It was also available to watch on Netflix.
Characters of Qorin
Each character performed admirably throughout the film. Additionally, each actor must perform a variety of roles.
Zahra
Zulfa Maharani played the role of Zahra. Zahra is the one with achievements and an obedient student studying at Rodiatul Jannah School. She is a third-year student who always listens to whatever her teacher assigns her. She and her best friends are also roommates and never break any rules and regulations of the school.
Zulfa Maharani is an Indonesian model and actor who has appeared in many movies and television series, including Popcorn (2016), Dylan 1991 (2018), Free (2019), and Milea: Voice from Dilan (2020).
Ustad Jaelani
Omar Daniel played the role of Ustad Jaelani. Ustad Jaelani is the owner of Rodiatul Jannah boarding school, which is a girls’ school only. Jaelani always feels like he is the god and make other do what he wants. He deems himself empowered by the devotion he receives to indulge in the most disgusting behavior possible.
Jaelani knows that employing religion is a powerful tool that can only further subjugate the downtrodden people. He is the one who instructed the student to summon their Qorin. It is a summoner-impersonating jinn with a superhuman resemblance. Omar Daniel is a model and actor from Indonesia. He has worked in many movies, web series, and on television.
Yolanda
Aghniny Haque played the role of Yolanda. Yolanda is the new student sent to Rodiatul Jannah School to learn some manners and how to act. She is a mischievous student who dislikes obeying rules and regulations. She has an appearance of a short haircut and jet-black hair with fiery red highlights.
Yolanda gives the impression that she does not like to be in command. Aghniny Haque is an actress who hails from Indonesia. She has made a lot of appearances in web series, television series, and movies, including Wedding Agreement (2018), Habibie & Ainun 3 (2019), Waiting for Miracle (2019), and Ben & Jody (2022).
The Plot of Qorin
The story centers around a third-year student Zahra at the boarding school Rodiatul Jannah has consistently served as a motivation to other students while also excelling in the classroom. It is run by Ustad Jaelani and Umi Yana.
Zahra is willing to comply with any instructions given by her teacher, Ustad Jaelani, to perform well always and score good grades. Among these are the obligations of inviting the students to take part in the Qorin ritual and caring for Yolanda, a new student with a reputation for misconduct and known for not following the rules.
After the two finished their chore, Zahra started to have horrifying and paranormal experiences. Zahra and they began to be tormented by the spirit of a genie who resembled each of the other students who participated in the ritual to summon Qorin. After the Qorin jinn arrived, they committed unfathomable sins, and Qorin Jin took over their lives.
Review of Qorin
The movie failed to deliver even though it makes an important point. There were simply not enough compelling reasons to root for the characters, and the film was highly dependent on jump scares in the absence of absolutely terrifying or exhilarating moments. Whatever the case, it did convey a message that might stick in your mind: always speak up when something unfavorable happens to you or someone nearby, regardless of who was at fault. Very possibly, it would stop a fatality.
It contained several unsettling moments and occasional scares that sort of worked for the audience. The narrative could capture your interest even if you were unfamiliar with the culture. The actors put up a great show with impressive effects. The only drawback was that sometimes it could be challenging for the viewers to see what was happening because of how dark it was.
Watching the numerous scenes demonstrated how the human body and soul had captured hurts. After some reflection, you could understand that the section that was making you feel terrified was simply a manifestation of the abuse the female characters in the film were subjected to. These scenes made you realize what these poor, innocent students had to go through. Sometimes, this stood in for a person’s baser instincts.
The movie, Qorin analyzed national concepts in great detail and also gave us the impression that the fight for possession was excessively severe. It had seen in many different religions throughout history. When it came to the conflict, it illustrated how the prey’s possession could make them feel guilty for being in this circumstance and how this guilt could overpower the victims.
The premise of this horror film was pretty fascinating because everyone had a dark side. In addition, Qorin represents the evil half of humanity that materializes before tormenting others. Many things were going on in the film, and a lot of sensitive content was shown, like startling and edgy murder scenes. Some people had to face toxic relationships. This movie unintentionally brought to the attention of the audience the fact that there were still persons in the area involved in toxic or unhealthy relationships.
One thing that needed our applause was the talented cast, who performed up to a point and the audience engrossed in the film. The cast members all delivered outstanding performances. It was hard to single out one person as the greatest of the group because they all did incredibly well throughout their limited screen time.
It was remarkable how Zulfa Maharani chose to let Zahra’s sorrow fester inside her before bringing it out in full force. Her character was the most thoroughly developed and made us feel every emotion she went through. Yolanda’s transformation from someone who was all about herself to the most charitable member of the group was depicted by Aghniny Haque in such a painful and genuine way.
Omar Daniel’s Ustad Jaelani was the kind of evil guy who made you want to hit the hell out of him for his stubbornness and inflexibility. We hope somebody like him could never exist. He was the reason for every villainous thing that happened to students. Apart from the main cast, other actors proved their skills and worth in the movie as well.
Other than tainted relationships and murder, rape and violence was also openly demonstrated in the film. Not everyone can watch this type of spine-chilling and sensitive content. In the movie, Qorin candidly talked about the most significant concern of society. It solely focuses on the most terrifying aspects and conveys meaningful addresses of pressing social issues. And one of the subjects brought up by the story in this movie was sexual violence.
This movie also showed that because Jaelani was in power, he thought he had every right to perform wrongdoing with anyone. It explored interactions and bonds shared between female students and boarding school staff; as a result, it was not wholly esoteric. And that at least a handful of the human characters in Qorin’s film deal with issues and exercise control.
For Qorin, there were two separate origins of dread. The jinn and eerie nighttime shadows were what gave off the fear, like the typical components of a horror film. However, as Jaelani abused his capability to harass his students, sexual exploitation can be horrifying. There were devilish figures you never wanted to meet in any of your existence.
This movie leaves you with a question if these young women will ever be able to move on from the suffering they have endured for so long after Qorin, a place that exacts a heavy price.
Our Verdict
Qorin was a mess at times, and the audience had no idea what was even happening. There were some creepy and disturbing scenes in the movie. The music used in the film was well ok-ok.
The visuals were no doubt astonishing. But it was not enough to leave a good impression of the movie on the audiences’ hearts and minds. There were loopholes in the film that cannot be neglected.
Qorin was somewhat different for fans looking for a religious horror film. It was not the best movie out there, but it would make you watch the whole film to know the end. Indonesia is definitely leveling up its game in this genre.
Our Rating: ⭐ (3/5).
Also Read: 40 Best Anime Horror Movies & Shows To Watch In 2023
