Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts

In The Robbery, the film unfolds on the beautiful island of Sumba, where we meet Marlina, who is enveloped in sorrow over her deceased husband. The tranquility of her life is shattered when a band of seven men, led by the elder Markus, storms her home with malicious intent to rob her of her livestock and violate her. As they demand a meal, Marlina seizes the moment to poison the opportunistic intruders with her chicken soup, ending most of their lives and decisively decapitating Markus. In a symbolic act of defiance, she incinerates Markus’s treasured musical instrument, the jungga.

Transitioning into The Journey, Marlina boards a local bus where she meets the expectant Novi, who is desperate to find her envious husband Umbu before she gives birth. Their bus trip is further enriched by the presence of an elderly woman carrying two horses as a dowry for her nephew’s wedding. However, danger looms as two of the surviving robbers, including Franz, discover the aftermath of the robbery and pursue them. In a tense confrontation, the robbers commandeer the bus, only for Marlina to make a daring escape with one of the horses. Amidst her flight, she is haunted by apparitions—namely, the ghost of Markus, who plays the haunting jungga.

In the gripping The Confession segment, Marlina arrives at the local police station to report the harrowing incident of robbery, attempted rape, and her ensuing act of self-defense. Though the police acknowledge her report, they inform her that legal action will be delayed for a month due to the lack of funding for essential rape test equipment, leaving Marlina to reflect on her trauma while forming a bond with a local girl in a nearby warung.

The narrative climaxes in The Birth, where Novi finally locates Umbu, only to be violently confronted; he believes her breech pregnancy signifies infidelity. He cruelly abandons her, allowing Franz to find her and manipulate her into drawing Marlina back. The tensions mount as the three converge back at Marlina’s house. In an unexpected turn of events, Novi’s labor begins amidst the chaos. Torn between vengeance and compassion, she grapples with the option of killing Franz but ultimately shows him mercy. To cement his control, Franz horrifically reunites Markus’s severed head with his body, placing it near Marlina’s mummified spouse. As Novi prepares chicken soup under duress, tragedy strikes again when Franz assaults Marlina before being decapitated by Novi during childbirth. Together, Marlina and Novi depart at dawn with the newborn, symbolizing a new beginning amidst the remnants of their past traumas.

Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 20:38