Album Review: Pintu Terlarang Original Soundtrack – Reopening The Forbidden Door
Joko Anwar has become a household name among film enthusiasts in Indonesia. His works are always become the talk of the town and the man from Medan is not only known for his cinematic feature but also for the music on his films. The scoring or original soundtrack for his movies is as intriguing as his film and one of them is “Pintu Terlarang” OST. The 2009 film tells the story of a sculptor named Gambir (Fachri Albar) who was at the peak of his career. The sculpture he made that has the theme of a pregnant woman had a scary story behind it, since there was an aborted fetus inserted in the belly of the sculpture. The fetus belonged to Talyda (Marsha Timothy), who had the idea of aborting and putting the unborn baby in the artwork. Since then, Gambir was always haunted with lots of letters and signs that said “help me”. In this frustrating situation, Gambir found a hidden door in his studio. Talyda strictly instructed him not to open it, or their relationship will end in an instance. That is the core of the film and the story gets more complex afterwards, involving a bitter truth about Talyda and a brutal revenge from Gambir.
I was late to the party to join the hype of this film, who was adapted from a thriller novel by Sekar Ayu Asmara. Being in awe after watching this film at my friend’s house, I was taken aback when being questioned about the scoring and soundtrack of the movie. Just like what Joko Anwar offered in his previous work like Janji Joni (2005), this film also has a stellar soundtrack which enhances the experience of watching the whole plot unfolds. Maybe if the background music is not as good as this, my judgement about the whole film could entirely change. Two years after watching the film, I got the physical edition of the soundtrack which was sold at a very reasonable price. The CD for the soundtrack was produced by Lifelike Pictures and there are 18 tracks inside that are splitted into two sides. Nine tracks are included in Featuring Songs and the others are included in Original Score. Joko Anwar once again proves his superb taste in music with “Pintu Terlarang” soundtrack which has some of the most prolific names in Indonesia’s music scene. There are Aghi Narrottama, Bemby Gusti (Sore), and Mondo Gascaro who arranged and composed the original score. Meanwhile there are Mantra, a unit made up of Zeke (of Zeke and The Popo), Emil (Naif), Anda (Matajiwa), Mian Meuthia, Yudhi Arfani and Leonardo Ringgo. As well as participations from Notturno, Sore, and Tika and The Dissidents.
The whole theme of the album has an extravagant and grand feel to it. The first nine songs from the Featuring Songs offer music with thick rhythm of jazz in it. Those tracks build up a fun and soothing ambience wrapped in a splendid arrangement. There is another layer in the music which serves a cold and vintage like nuance. Judging by the names who are involved in this project, it is understandable that those kind of music or vibe is present in the album. The first nine songs could be the perfect soundtrack for your intimate moment with your loved ones. After you are finished listening to those nine tracks, I suggest you to stop. Because the spooky scoring will likely to ruin your romantic fling. Be at your own risk if you want to continue, after all, love could also end in a tragic way. With this said, please do discover more amazing soundtracks from Joko Anwar’s movies. You won’t regret it!
Pintu Terlarang Original Soundtrack Tracklist :
CD 1
01 Mantra – Why
02 Sore – Nancy Bird
03 Mantra – Please Operator Please
04 Tika And The Dissidents – Home Safe
05 Mantra – Baby Baby
06 Notturno – Jiro
07 Mantra – Blessed The Tainted Heart
08 Sore Feat. Tilly The Chekinks – Lullaby Blues
09 Alfred Ayal – Merry Mist
CD 2
10 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – Opening Tune
11 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – The Color Purple
12 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – Innocent Blood
13 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – Dirty Work
14 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – Naked Truth
15 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – Blood Opus
16 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – Chasing The Kid
17 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – The Eye
18 Bemby, Mondo, & Agni Narottama – The Pig – Headed Hero
Reviewer: Radinang Hilman/Editor: Novita Widia
