As someone who has watched a considerable amount of Indonesian horror films on Netflix, I felt The Redemption of Sin was trying to do something different. It's an emotional crime horror film with a promising premise. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to its potential, so the film might disappoint horror lovers.
The Redemption of Sin revolves around Wening, a mother willing to do anything for her daughter, Nirmala. Her life hadn't been easy. She ended her first marriage after her husband, Wicak, failed to provide any financial support and spent her hard-earned money on car racing. Wening tried to regain marital happiness, but her husband, Suleiman, turned out to be a con man.
Directors: Yosep Anggi Noen, Amar Haikal
Writers: Yosep Anggi Noen, Alim Sudio
Stars: Happy Salma, Putri Marino, Shogen
He had accepted his fate, and Nirmala was his only ray of hope. But things took a tragic turn when Wening, his mother, Uti Yah, and Nirmala were involved in an accident. Uti Yah's body was discovered by the side of the road, but Nirmala was nowhere to be seen. It was assumed Wening was the only survivor, but she refused to give up searching for her daughter.
After the search team gave up on finding Nirmala, Wening was willing to do whatever it took to find her. She released 1,000 origami cranes because her teacher, Tetsuya, had told her that cranes were considered a symbol of hope in Japan, and it was believed that 1,000 cranes together would grant one wish. Wening painstakingly made 1,000 cranes from scratch and released them into the river, hoping to one day be reunited with Nirmala. She had recently met Tirta, a swimming coach and podcast host interested in her story, and when she insisted Wening consider black magic, she decided to give it a try. Tirta's friend, Gus, knew a renowned practitioner, Mbah Gowa, who apparently could help Wening find her daughter. He advised her to repent of all her sins because, according to him, another force was holding her back and preventing her from leaving a dark place. He believed Nirmala would only be freed if her mother repented.
Wening headed to Cirebon, where her ex-husband lived, and Tirta accompanied her. On the way, Wening told her she wanted to apologize to her ex-husband, Wicak, because she believed he was indirectly responsible for the severe burns she suffered after her departure. Although it was an accident, Wening felt guilty about the outcome. She visited Wicak in the hospital, and he begged her to kill him. He lived in constant pain and simply wanted to die. He promised to forgive her if she killed him. Wening hesitated, but to redeem herself, she grabbed a pillow and walked toward Wicak. Suddenly, Wicak bit his tongue and began bleeding from his mouth. He seemed possessed, possibly by the spirit of Uti Yah, who killed him so Wening wouldn't have to. Wening, terrified, screamed for help. Wicak's ghost haunted her after she returned home, and she ended up spending the night at Tetsuya's house.
The next morning, the body of Suleiman, Wening's second husband, was recovered from the river. At the beginning of The Redemption of Sin, we witnessed Suleiman perform the Kungkum Kedung ritual, which apparently brought him money. It was a dangerous ritual, and Wening had to pull Suleiman out of the river if he lost consciousness. Wening tried with all her might to pull him to the surface, but she couldn't. She had no choice but to release the rope that bound him, because she too would have drowned if she hadn't. Suleiman was an imposter, and he wasn't the person she immediately thought of when Mbah Gowa asked her to reflect on her sins. But later, when her body was discovered, Mbah Gowa emphasized that Suleiman was the one preventing Nirmala from returning to the world. For her soul to be released, they needed to perform a purification ritual in the river. Wening agreed; she was desperate. She handed over the money needed for the ritual, and that same night, Mbah Gowa brought Wening the dress Nirmala had been wearing when she disappeared. It was the only evidence they found after the ritual. She added that Wening's sins were grave and could not be redeemed or purified. She believed Nirmala was the price she must pay for her sins, and that she could only be reunited with her in death.
Later, Tirta discovered that Gus was involved in Wening's scam to extort money from her. She was shocked; she hadn't expected her friend to sink so low. She discovered that Gus and Mbah Gowa had devised the black magic scheme to defraud Wening because Suleiman owed them money. They were his victims and wanted revenge, so they attacked the vulnerable widow.
Meanwhile, when Wening attempted suicide, the ghosts of her mother and Wicak appeared before her. They didn't mean to harm her; instead, they guided her toward the truth. They reminded her of the hairpin and also of the most important fact she had forgotten: Nirmala and Uti Yah were terrified when Wening came to pick them up from Tetsuya's house the night of the accident. Even though it was raining, their mother had told her to keep driving. Something important had happened that day, but they didn't have a chance to discuss it with Wening. So she decided to find out the truth through Tetsuya.
Tetsuya explained how obsessed he was with Nirmala because she resembled his deceased daughter, Miyako. Apparently, Tetsuya was guilty of killing his daughter, whom he claimed had behaved excessively. On the night of the accident, when Nirmala appeared before Tetsuya wearing Miyako's dress, he felt as if his daughter had returned. The film doesn't delve too deeply into Tetsuya's past, but it's clear he was an abusive man who had lost his mind. He tried to hold Nirmala tightly, but she protested and screamed for help. Her grandmother came to her rescue, and they hopped on Wening's motorcycle and drove off.
During the finale of The Redemption of Sin, Tetsuya followed Wening that night and was the first to arrive at the accident scene. He found Nirmala and, realizing she was still alive, took her to his house. He tied her up and refused to let her go unless she admitted to being his daughter, Miyako. Tetsuya hit Wening in the head when he confessed to kidnapping her. Just when Tetsuya thought he had the upper hand, Tirta sneaked into his house and attacked him from behind. The two got into a physical fight, but Tetsuya managed to overpower Tirta. When Wening regained consciousness, Tetsuya asked Nirmala to join them and teach his mother how to make an origami crane. Nirmala was relieved to see her mother, but terrified of her captor. She followed Tetsuya's instructions, even though she probably just wanted to hug her. Tetsuya forced Wening to sign a document declaring that, henceforth, Nirmala was his daughter. Just when everything seemed to be going against her, supernatural forces came to her rescue. Her mother's spirit entered her body and she managed to break her bonds and free herself. She chased Tetsuya and demanded that he hand over Nirmala. Tetsuya and Wening got into a fight and ended up falling into the river. Nirmala survived, and Tirta came to her rescue.
The ending of The Redemption of Sin confirmed that Wening survived after falling into the river. She was rescued and tried for negligence resulting in the death of her husband, Suleiman. The district court sentenced her to five months in prison. Presumably, Tetsuya did not survive, and Wening was a witness in Nirmala's kidnapping case. Although Wening and Tirta connected after Nirmala's disappearance, they formed an unlikely bond, and Tirta no longer cared about her podcast show; she really wanted to help Wening. After Wening's incarceration, Tirta looked after Nirmala. Five months later, Wening was finally reunited with her daughter.
She watched Tirta give Nirmala swimming lessons; she finally felt she was safe. In the final scene, a man approached Wening and offered to help her and Nirmala, but after everything she had been through, Wening realized she didn't need a man in her life to make things right. Most men hadn't kept their promises, and she didn't want to take any chances. She was happy living with her daughter and firmly believed that everything would be okay.
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