A heavy metal odyssey revealing the art behind the music.
2008 was a faultline in Indonesian history. The death of military-backed strongman Suharto marked a turning point for the nation, but a younger generation mourned the headbangers killed in a stampede at a heavy metal concert in Bandung. University student Galang (Elang El Gibran) has lost his sister in this crush and his guilt leads him to rage against the subculture that rages against the machine. He drops out and becomes part of the entourage of the band who were playing that fatal night, intent on some unformulated expression of his slow-burning grief. Instead, he finds a lifeline back to the world among the black t-shirted metal-heads who are laboring against the odds to turn their alienation into something that speaks to the emerging generation. Come for the drama, stay for the cream of Indonesian metal with thrash bands such as Asfixia and Savor of Filth.
“This is a story about youth having problems alright, but the film makes its stance clear that metal music is not one of the problems … an interesting slice-of-life look at a less-discussed subculture of a country still obviously underrepresented in global cinema.” (Asian Movie Pulse)