Stone Turtle - Comments & Tips

[Göteborg FF '23] Ming Jin Woo skillfully manages to introduce fantastic elements into the social narrative that talks about the difficulties of the Malaysian population in accepting other cultures, in an interracial society that, however, is not integrated. The film draws on Malaysian folklore to build a story of acceptance and challenge, becoming increasingly ethereal, incorporating ghosts that live on the island as memories of immigrant women who remain there even after they have crossed over to the other side. as Zahara insists on staying on the island: "I'd rather be alive on a ghost island than be a ghost in the land of the living." There are echoes of "Woman in the dunes" (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964) in this portrait of female strength, which consolidate the story's solvency.