Written by

Jude Bautista

They storm the vacant class room, knowing none of the teachers and other students were there to stop them. The trio of mean girls decide to vandalize the chair using markers and chalk. They write ‘whoever sits here is a whore’ on the desk. Adela had barely gotten up from writing it when her cell phone immediately goes off from a text alert. She shockingly shows it to the two: “You’re the whore.” None of them could figure out who the text message is from.

“The Empty Chair” which opened last June 22, 2011, is an Indonesian horror film very much in the tradition of other Asian flicks of this genre. The mystery element and the sexy lovely faces are worth the ticket. Students of an all girl school called the Permata Putri Senior High School become the victims of several unexplained ‘accidental’ deaths. The perennial victim and school nerd, Dinda (Adhitya Putri) is the focus of the hauntings. The actress playing her Adhitya Putri, has a strong resemblance with Maja Salvador.

Adhitya Putri plays Dinda an Indonesian version of our own Maja Salvador

Newly assigned teacher Grace (Cathy Sharon) sees an empty chair and thinks nothing of assigning the noisy Adela (Zhi F) to sit on it in front. Adela knowing the history of the chair volunteers Dinda instead. Since Dinda is seated closer Grace relents. She tearfully explains to the new teacher that they have been instructed by the Principal not to occupy the seat. Not willing to give in to mindless superstitions Grace forces her to sit. As soon as she does, her whole perception freezes. She screams and the seat levitates, windows shatter, the whole class starts running away in fear.

Cathy Sharon plays teacher Grace, the skeptical teacher who unleashes the evil in “The Empty Chair”

What makes this film better than the typical horror flick is that there is a strong mystery element. Mrs. Janet Jerios is the school Principal who is constantly stopping any form of discussion on the unexplained occurrences in the school and its students. Her solution to everything is by sweeping it under the rug. 3 mean girls forming a ‘barkada’ (gang) torment Dinda. They are Adela, Destin (Nadiah Hasan) and Nancy (Tania Hardjosubroto) the rich kids victimizing the smart ones for their homework or cheat in tests. When Dinda refuses to help them cheat they crush her glasses and make her miserable.

3 mean girls: From right: Adela (Zhi F), Nancy (Tania Hardjosubroto) and Destin (Nadiah Hasan). Tania Hardjosubroto looks like and overweight Sharon Cuneta…as a high school student.

Nancy looks like Sharon Cuneta as an overweight adult even though she’s supposed to be in high school. At the very least, the Mega star was svelte in her teen years and was an extremely successful recording star at that age.Nancyhas a very round face and is the source of some comic relief as she rushes to do a number 2 in the ladies room. She is effective as a villain because she is monstrously irritating. Adela’s first encounter, is when she sees a mysterious face through a window while talking on the phone. Destin hears her scream from the end of the line. The following day they share their experiences.

Starlink team from left: Raymond Dorosan, Shirley Tayer-Calibara, Lucielle Fidelino Ricci Fidelino and Edward Dee. Photo by Jude Bautista

There are quite a few words that are shared between Bahasa Indonesia and Filipino. Audiences will hear it through out, tolong (help), anak (child), aku (me). The more one watches the film, the more people will realize the similarities between the two countries. “The Empty Chair” under Star Vision is just one of many films that distributor Starlink Asia will be releasing this year. An up and coming release is “The Promise” released on September 7, also from the horror genre it deals with a romance gone terribly awry.

Fans have long been awaiting the Christian Bautista starrer in “A Special Symphony” which will have a red carpet premiere on July 27, 2011. “A Special…” is a touching story of how a music teacher is able to connect with special children, shot in both Manila and Jakarta.

Production value of this Indonesian film is at par with other internationally released films. The only weakness in it may be the story and the directorial treatment. Film maker Helfi c.h. Kardit has a habit of cutting in moments when the scene is about to reveal the most important detail. Doing this at the beginning is understandable as every little bit of information unfolds as the story goes along. The use of same technique near the end or at the denouement when the point of revelation is critical is just plain wrong. Since there is a mystery element, audiences can be left scratching their heads wondering what happened. Kardit however, still manages to pull everything together with his visual wit. There’s a humorous ending to an otherwise very horrifying scream fest.