So, I was supposed to go to Jakarta yesterday. The plan was simple which is to buy Makanya, Mikir! by Abigail Limuria and Cania Citta, get it signed, maybe even say hi and act cool for five seconds before internally freaking out. But yeah, life decided to throw a plot twist. Out of nowhere, I got a message about a job interview from a LinkedIn contact. It was for a position at an insurance company, not something you casually skip, you know? So I had to cancel my little book adventure. I told myself it’s fine, it’s “career priorities” but deep down I was like, ugh, really? Today?
Fast forward to this afternoon, I stopped by Gramedia in Botani Square Mall just to see the book. I even held it for a bit, trying to convince myself that an unsigned copy is fine. But nope. I wanted the signed version. The one from the event. Because somehow, it just feels more special when there’s a story behind it. So I put it back on the shelf and walked out empty-handed.
Anyway, to cheer myself up, I went to watch Shutter (2025) with some campus friends and honestly? It was really good. Like, surprisingly good. It’s been so long since I’ve seen an Indonesian horror film that actually nailed both the scare and the story. The last one that did that for me was Pengabdi Setan, which was… I don’t even know how many years ago.
Turns out this Shutter is actually a remake of the 2004 Thai film. It’s about a woman’s revenge after being deeply wronged, the story is sad, creepy, emotional, all in one. But the best part? After the end credits, Vino G. Bastian suddenly appeared inside the theater. I swear, no one saw it coming. The crowd literally freaking out. He told us not to give away spoilers yet since it hasn’t officially premiered, apparently it was a special screening. And yeah… that was wild. The first time I saw Vino was in Sabar Ini Ujian (2020) and I instantly liked his acting performance. He just has that calm, chill energy that makes you think, “yeah, this guy’s cool” and today, seeing him in real life totally proved it. He really is that chill. I didn’t get a photo with him (sad, I know), but just seeing him up close already made my day. I tried to rate it on IMDb right after watching but it’s not even out yet, so I couldn’t. Kinda funny because I was ready to drop my 8/10 right there.
If I had to give one little critique tho, it would be the soundtrack. Some scenes used songs that didn’t really match the tension, so instead of feeling scared, I kind of just… watched lol. The atmosphere could’ve hit way harder if they picked background music that built more suspense or silence that made you hold your breath. It’s not a big deal, the story and acting still carry the film, but with the right sound, it could’ve been next-level scary.
So yeah, I didn’t get the signed book, but I did get a story I’ll probably tell for a while. Life has a funny way of giving you what you didn’t know you needed.
