'Munkar' (2024): Unveiling Trauma, Hazing, and Femme Agency Through Horror

As a religious concept, munkar (منكر) refers to the idea of evil, wherein an action or a deed is disapproved of by society and Islamic teachings. In the film Munkar (2024), director Anggy Umbara explores the notion of hypocrisy in Religious Boarding Schools and the normalization of violence within Asian education systems. Using the story of Herlina as a cautionary tale about the impact of institutional abuse, Umbara explores the idea of hazing, institutional punishment and the role of women in Indonesian cultural contexts. The themes explored in Munkar relate to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Good Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality.

Munkar’s modern approach to the horror genre gives audiences a taste of kitschy storytelling with underlying elements of discourses on hazing and the role of women in Indonesian Society. Hazing is a core theme in the film and is commonplace in Indonesian schools and universities. School Violence in Indonesia has been highlighted in worldwide news as early as 2007 and is still prevalent to this day. In August of 2024, reports of toxic seniority leading to the death of a Medical Student in Central Java reiterated the tragic impact of hazing and toxic seniority on the health and safety of students in the Indonesian education sector.

When reviewing specifics within the film, Herlina’s character arc creates an uncanny reasoning as to why she changes after her 'death.' The audience is given a minimal backstory for Herlina and her enrollment in the pesantren (boarding house) is kept vague. Her parents state that they hope her stay in the pesantren will change Herlina’s character, but the audience is not informed on how Herlina must be reformed. Her character at the beginning of the film is depicted as a regular, religiously imperfect girl who is sloppy in her time management. This artistic choice to withhold details about Herlina’s backstory allows a sense of relatability with the film's audience. Herlina lacks agency in her story from beginning to end as she was forced into religious schooling, accidentally killed after cruel acts of hazing and resurrected without her consent after her death.

In a particular scene where Herlina is degraded by her peers for being the cause of their punishment, we see a criticism of the culture of hazing in Indonesia as a whole. Indonesian education systems often give group punishments rather than individual punishments to promote solidarity, ignoring that these forms of punishment can breed resentment in their peers. Her eventual ‘death’ is then used as a justification for her actions that follow, including her particular targeting of all the girls who bullied her.

This scene particularly mirrors the current lack of justice given to victims of bullying in Indonesian education sectors. Currently, there are reported cases of up to 300 verified reports in UNAIR Medical School that are under investigation as a result of the case of Dr. Aulia Risma Lestari, a medical student who was suspected of dying by suicide due to bullying on campus. Herlina’s ‘resurrection’ and method of violent justice show how trauma affects the sense of self.

Herlina’s behavioural changes, however, are not seen as strange to Herlina’s roommate, Ranum. Ranum is the only character in the film who does not suffer from Herlina’s wrath. Despite her eerie nature, Herlina seems to show care and affection to Ranum, even while targeting Ranum’s peers. She ensures that Ranum stays unaffected by her violent advances. Ranum is the only character who shows any form of kindness to Herlina and serves as a characteristic example of the role of support in handling trauma.

In an interview, Adhisty Zara, the actress who portrays her, notes that Ranum’s “demure traditional femininity represents her good nature” as a Muslim woman. Ranum serves as Herlina’s antithesis. She is a soft-spoken, early riser who “recites the Quran melodiously.” Ranum is considered the ideal “santriwati,” attending the pesantren on a scholarship. Even though Herlina is Ranum’s opposite, she shows her kindness and often tries to help her.

Psychologists believe that seeking human connection is imperative to trauma recovery. Communities often rely on their peers and family for emotional comfort. However, extreme cases of this may lead to forms of emotional co-dependency. Herlina, in her possessed form, knows that Ranum is the only one who cares for her, so Herlina is codependent in her attachment to Ranum. The codependency ends tragically as Ranum eventually becomes the key to Herlina’s demise by assisting in her eventual exorcism.

Munkar, serves as many things. At first glance, it is an entertaining tale of a dead girl becoming possessed and killing her bullies, a revenge fantasy involving mystic tales of ghosts and spirits. On a closer reading, however, it can be read as a criticism of the culture of hazing, lack of female bodily autonomy and how ‘hurt people hurt people.’ It is not a tale of forgiveness, but a cautionary tale on abuse of power. Even when we try to run away from our mistakes, our ‘Herlina’ will one day come and destroy us unless we try our best to change.