BORDERLESS FOG is a new Netflix movie from Indonesia (org. title: Kabut Berduri). It’s a Crime Thriller with a murder mystery at the heart of the plot, but superstition and folklore involving a ghost also play a big part.

It takes place in Borneo, right on the border between Indonesia and Malaysia, which means conflict with various authorities plays a part as well. In fact, just figuring out who the murder case belongs to is the first challenge.

When the story of Borderless Fog begins, a body falls down from a tree into a food stall. The body has been decapitated and it turns out the head and body are from two different victims. And before long, more murders happen.

To help with the case, Sanja arrives from Jakarta as the lead detective. She’s assigned to investigate the series of gruesome murders that are suddenly impacting the indigenous Dayak community.

A community living in the border area of Indonesia-Malaysia on Borneo Kalimantan. Before she can solve the case, Sanja must confront some ghosts of her own past and confront her personal demons. But she is tough and unrelenting.

Putri Marino portrays the big-city detective Sanja. With her short hairstyle, glasses with literal rose-colored lenses, and being taller than most others in the area, she stands out.

Also, she may be feminine and young, but she is also very whipsmart, fast, and tough. Investigating murders that take place along the Indonesia-Malaysia border involves many difficult conversations and a lot of proverbial red tape.

The award-winning filmmaker Edwin has decided to take on the crime-investigative thriller genre with this movie. And it works very well, so hopefully it won’t be the last endeavor in this genre.

With his movie Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash, Edwin won the Golden Leopard at the 2021 Locarno Film Festival. He was also named Best Director and won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2022 Indonesian Film Festival.

We’re getting quite a lot of Indonesian movies on Netflix and the quality can differ a bit. However, this one is definitely a high-quality production, and with an important story. One that covers important political issues as well.

Borderless Fog is on Netflix from August 1, 2024.