# Modus Anomali
**Modus Anomali** (released in the United States as **Ritual**) is a 2012 Indonesian psychological thriller film written and directed by Joko Anwar, in which a man on a forest vacation with his wife and two children is separated from his family after an uninvited guest arrives, and must follow alarm clocks planted in the woods while a mysterious killer hunts him.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html) It was produced by Sheila Timothy for LifeLike Pictures, runs 87 minutes, and was shot in English with an Indonesian cast.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html) • [2](https://www.filmindonesia.co.id/titles/modus-anomali) • [3](https://www.critic.de/film/modus-anomali-3708/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Joko Anwar, his fourth feature after *Janji Joni*, *Kala*, and *Pintu Terlarang*[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html) • [4](https://hot.detik.com/movie/d-1899638/sheila-timothy-modus-anomali-original-dan-fresh) |
| Lead cast | Rio Dewanto as John Evans, with Hannah Al Rashid, Marsha Timothy, and Surya Saputra[2](https://www.filmindonesia.co.id/titles/modus-anomali) |
| Budget and shoot | About US$200,000 (Rp 1.8 billion), shot in 10 days on a Red Epic camera in tropical forest near Bogor, West Java[5](https://hot.detik.com/movie/d-1867488/joko-anwar-bikin-modus-anomali-dengan-dana-rp-1-8-miliar) |
| Release | World premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, March 2012; Indonesian theatrical release 26 April 2012[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html) |
| Early recognition | Screenplay won the Bucheon Award at the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) in South Korea in 2011, chosen over 23 other nominees from about 100 projects[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html) • [6](https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/04/29/into-a-murderer-s-mind) |
| US release | Streamed and sold as *Ritual* from January 7, 2014, rated R for disturbing violent content and language[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/modus_anomali_2012) |
| Indonesian admissions | 130,045 tickets sold[2](https://www.filmindonesia.co.id/titles/modus-anomali) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
A man (Rio Dewanto) is on holiday with his wife and their two children at a cabin in the woods when an uninvited guest arrives. He experiences a lapse and finds himself separated from his family, waking with no memory of who he is. As he searches, he finds alarm clocks planted throughout the forest that ring at intervals, and he realizes he must race against time to see his family alive. Another family is also vacationing in the woods, possibly connected to the strange events, and he is pursued by someone who wants his life.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html) • [8](https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/31998/sxsw-2012-writer-director-joko-anwar-talks-modus-anomali-and-more/) • [9](https://www.kapanlagi.com/film/indonesia/modus-anomali-bermain-mencari-kematian.html) The story builds toward a late reveal that recontextualizes what came before.[10](https://wisnuwidiarta.com/2012/05/15/modus-anomali-2012/)
## Production
**Origin of the title.** Anwar said he had planned the film for years, even before making *The Forbidden Door* (2009), and that the title comes from that earlier film, which contains a street called Modus Anomali whose name he had always liked.[8](https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/31998/sxsw-2012-writer-director-joko-anwar-talks-modus-anomali-and-more/) Producer Sheila Timothy described the story as original and fresh, like a puzzle with many surprises, and said preparation took nearly a year while shooting took 10 days.[4](https://hot.detik.com/movie/d-1899638/sheila-timothy-modus-anomali-original-dan-fresh)
**Casting and shooting.** The filmmakers auditioned about 9,200 people for the eight-person cast and, unusually, opened the audition process on Facebook and Twitter to reach people outside the usual channels.[8](https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/31998/sxsw-2012-writer-director-joko-anwar-talks-modus-anomali-and-more/) Anwar originally planned to shoot the story, which runs from 5 pm to 9 the next morning, in real time and in sequence, but weather forced a 10-day shoot instead.[8](https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/31998/sxsw-2012-writer-director-joko-anwar-talks-modus-anomali-and-more/) The film was shot on a Red Epic camera for about US$200,000 (Rp 1.8 billion) in tropical forest in the Bogor area of [West Java](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-java); for forest tracking shots, with no motion-control access, the crew mounted the camera on a flying fox and threw it to the other end of the cable.[5](https://hot.detik.com/movie/d-1867488/joko-anwar-bikin-modus-anomali-dengan-dana-rp-1-8-miliar) Gunnar Nimpuno was the cinematographer, and the sound crew recorded effects themselves to give a realistic impression; the shaky camera movement was deliberate, meant to put viewers inside the protagonist's confusion.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/modus_anomali_2012/cast-and-crew) • [12](https://i-rara.com/modus-anomali/)
**Language.** Although the cast is entirely Indonesian, the film was shot in English. Anwar said he aimed the film at an international market, and the choice drew criticism from Indonesian reviewers, who found the actors' English delivery unconvincing.[3](https://www.critic.de/film/modus-anomali-3708/) • [10](https://wisnuwidiarta.com/2012/05/15/modus-anomali-2012/)
## Festivals and awards
The project won the Bucheon Award at the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF), the pitching and market section of the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea, in 2011.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html) The finished film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in [Austin, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-texas), in March 2012, and later screened at the Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival near Barcelona, the Films from the South festival in Oslo (4–14 October 2012), the Sitges festival, and the Paris International Fantastic Film Festival.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html) • [13](https://www.espinof.com/criticas/modus-anomali-crimen-y-castigo) • [14](https://www.pifff.fr/2012/film-29-modus-anomali-en)
At Molins de Rei in 2012, Anwar won the Best Director award. Khikmawan Santosa was nominated for Best Sound Design (Citra Award) at the 2012 Indonesian Film Festival and won the sound design honor at the Piala Maya, where the film also received nominations for art direction and editing. At the 2013 Indonesian Movie Awards, the film was nominated for Most Favorite Film, and Rio Dewanto was nominated for Best Actor and Most Favorite Actor.[1](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html)
## Reception
Critical response was divided. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a Tomatometer score of 54 percent based on four critics' reviews.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/modus_anomali_2012) Scott Weinberg of FEARnet gave it 3.5 out of 5, calling it a film that goes to a dark, weird, disturbing place for viewers willing to wait; Anton Bitel of *Little White Lies* noted that its narrative landscape borrows signposts from the slasher, the survival thriller, and *The Most Dangerous Game*, but maps them in a disorienting way; John Townsend of *Starburst* gave it 3 out of 10.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/modus_anomali_2012) Indonesian reviewers praised the concept and the sound design while faulting the English dialogue and some storytelling choices; one reviewer rated it 6 out of 10 and found it very short.[10](https://wisnuwidiarta.com/2012/05/15/modus-anomali-2012/) • [9](https://www.kapanlagi.com/film/indonesia/modus-anomali-bermain-mencari-kematian.html) FilmIndonesia's user rating stands at 74 percent, with the plot twist rated "genius" and the intensity "very fast".[2](https://www.filmindonesia.co.id/titles/modus-anomali)
Before release, Anwar said the film would be his last thriller for a while and that he would move on to a drama, with a hint toward his next film embedded in *Modus Anomali* itself.[15](https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2012/04/02/21015975/modus-anomali-film-thriller-terakhir-joko-anwar) The film later became one of the festival works by which international audiences first took notice of Anwar, who went on to become Indonesia's box-office leader with later projects.[16](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/06/21/nightmares-and-daydreams-sur-netflix-l-indonesie-de-l-autre-cote-du-miroir_6242150_3246.html)
## References
1. [Modus Anomali, Indonesian Film Center](https://www.indonesianfilmcenter.com/filminfo/detail/706/index.html)
2. [Modus Anomali (2012), FilmIndonesia](https://www.filmindonesia.co.id/titles/modus-anomali)
3. [Modus Anomali – Kritik, critic.de (Michael Kienzl, 8 April 2013)](https://www.critic.de/film/modus-anomali-3708/)
4. [Sheila Timothy: 'Modus Anomali' Original dan Fresh, detikHot (23 April 2012)](https://hot.detik.com/movie/d-1899638/sheila-timothy-modus-anomali-original-dan-fresh)
5. [Joko Anwar Bikin 'Modus Anomali' dengan Dana Rp 1,8 miliar, detikHot (14 March 2012)](https://hot.detik.com/movie/d-1867488/joko-anwar-bikin-modus-anomali-dengan-dana-rp-1-8-miliar)
6. [Into a murderer's mind, The Jakarta Post (29 April 2012)](https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/04/29/into-a-murderer-s-mind)
7. [Modus Anomali (2012), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/modus_anomali_2012)
8. [SXSW 2012: Writer/Director Joko Anwar Talks Modus Anomali and More!, Dread Central (20 March 2012)](https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/31998/sxsw-2012-writer-director-joko-anwar-talks-modus-anomali-and-more/)
9. ['MODUS ANOMALI', Bermain Mencari Kematian, KapanLagi.com](https://www.kapanlagi.com/film/indonesia/modus-anomali-bermain-mencari-kematian.html)
10. [Modus Anomali (2012), Untold Contemplation (Wisnu Widiarta, 15 May 2012)](https://wisnuwidiarta.com/2012/05/15/modus-anomali-2012/)
11. [Modus Anomali: Full Cast & Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/modus_anomali_2012/cast-and-crew)
12. [Modus Anomali, Thoughts, Dreams, and Emotions (21 April 2012)](https://i-rara.com/modus-anomali/)
13. ['Modus Anomali', Crimen y castigo, Espinof](https://www.espinof.com/criticas/modus-anomali-crimen-y-castigo)
14. [Modus Anomali, Paris International Fantastic Film Festival 2012](https://www.pifff.fr/2012/film-29-modus-anomali-en)
15. [Modus Anomali Film "Thriller" Terakhir Joko Anwar, Kompas.com (2 April 2012)](https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2012/04/02/21015975/modus-anomali-film-thriller-terakhir-joko-anwar)
16. [« Nightmares and Daydreams », sur Netflix, Le Monde (21 June 2024)](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/06/21/nightmares-and-daydreams-sur-netflix-l-indonesie-de-l-autre-cote-du-miroir_6242150_3246.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2010–2014 films › Titles M to W*
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