Stone Turtle (2022) Movie Script
1
[distant waves crashing]
[sinister note plays]
[sinister music playing]
[sinister music continues playing]
[sinister music, sound of waves
both slowly fading]
- [glasses clinking]
- [woman pouring drink]
[distant birds chirping]
[grandmother] Every soul will taste death.
You will only receive your full reward
on the Day of Judgment.
Those spared from the Fire
are admitted into Paradise,
whereas the life of this world is no more
than the delusion of enjoyment.
Allah never delays a soul when
its appointed time comes
[grandfather] You dishonored the family.
[loud thud]
- [glasses clanking]
- [choking]
[gasping]
- [loud thud]
- [gasping]
[dark music builds]
[distant waves plashing]
[music fades]
[distant engine sound]
[waves splashing]
You fell asleep.
[distant engine sound]
[traffic noise]
[car honking]
[man] Okay. Turn a little to the left.
Tilt your chin up.
Okay. One, two, three.
[papers rustling]
[indistinct chatter]
[printing noise]
[shop attendant calls name indistinctly]
[printing noise continues]
[phone ringing]
[indistinct chatter continues]
[man] Ms. Zahara Anggi.
- [phone ringing]
- [whispers indistinctly]
[phone ringing]
I have her picture now.
ID card?
[phone ringing]
[officer] We don't recognize
the refugee card.
Do you have a red ID?
Stone Turtle Island?
I didn't know people lived there.
Who is the child?
My niece.
[officer] Where is the mother?
She's passed on.
Non-citizens can't register for school.
But I heard anyone can apply
to local schools now.
[officer] That's only in Kuala Lumpur.
We don't have enough classes
here for refugees.
She's already ten
and she hasn't been to school.
Please help us.
Can you wait?
Mrs. Nora!
They told me yesterday that I could
present my case to the officer.
She needs to go to school
You need the ministry's approval.
So there's no point
talking to the officer.
Her father's a citizen.
Why isn't he here?
He needs to be present.
[phone ringing]
[brooding music playing]
[brooding music continues]
[music fades]
There's a man here.
[restless music playing]
[music fades]
The boatman refused to bring
the boat to shore.
Are you an immigration inspector?
No.
Police?
I'm from Universiti Sains.
Samad.
[distant birds chirping]
What brings you to this island?
I'm on a research trip.
To find leatherback turtles.
There are no leatherback turtles here.
[man grunts]
You see these tomato jellyfish?
Leatherbacks love eating them.
Tomato jellyfish have fine tentacles.
Like a lion's mane.
I know what they are.
Do you mind if I spend the day
looking around?
Do as you wish.
The island doesn't belong to us.
[repeated thudding]
[thudding]
- [ominous music playing]
- [distant birds chirping]
[music intensifies]
[music continues]
- [music continues]
- [birds chirping]
[water splashing]
[ominous music playing]
[music builds]
[music fades]
[distant birds chirping]
What are you reading?
It's about a Muslim girl
who gets a superpower
after inhaling some chemical gas.
What type of superpowers?
She can stretch her arms, legs, and body.
She can also change sizes.
Like an elastic band?
Yes. But her parents are super strict.
[Nika] She's always getting grounded
Nika!
What did the man talk to you about?
About the comic.
What comic?
I found it at the town registry.
You'll have to read schoolbooks soon.
I don't want to go to school.
Why not?
You can't just be reading useless comics.
They're not useless.
They taught me many things.
Like what?
Like if we get attacked
by poisonous chemical gases,
we can dig an underground bunker
and use plants to filter the gas.
The comic taught you that?
Also, if someone offers you a
free purple smoothie,
it might be spiked with a nano-virus
that can control your brain.
So no purple smoothie then.
Yup.
Nika, go get your pencil case.
I got you a new pen.
I need a sharpener.
[pencil case clanking]
I'll get you one soon.
[distant birds chirping]
[distant waves]
Where are all the men?
They've gone out to the sea.
They return every few weeks.
This is the common green turtle.
It's not what I'm looking for.
Dead carcasses do get
washed up every now and then.
Do you know this place?
I can give you directions.
I need someone to guide me around.
I'll pay you.
[peaceful music starts slowly and builds]
[water splashing]
[music fades out]
[Samad] There are no men here, are there?
I guess you were just being cautious.
How many of you live here?
Eight of us,
including the children.
The little girl, is she your?
My niece.
Her mother?
She's passed on.
Does she go to school?
She's not allowed to.
And how do you make ends meet?
We sell fish.
Have we met before?
[dark music starts]
[music continues]
[music fades out]
[distant waves and birds chirping]
[Samad panting]
[footsteps in the water]
[Samad keeps panting]
[distorted chirping]
[ominous music starts]
[music and chirping intensify]
[man grunting]
[gasping]
[music and chirping continue]
[Samad sobs]
[sobbing]
[sobbing]
[music fades out]
[Samad grunts]
[heavy breathing]
[Samad] I read this island is shaped
like a giant turtle.
[Zahara] I was told it was shaped like
a sleeping pregnant woman.
Same island, different myths.
[distant birds chirping]
You don't miss it? Civilization?
Watching movies?
Listening to music?
I can watch a movie if I want to.
[music continues]
[music fades into the sound
of waves plashing]
Your first location is over there.
[waves rumble]
[wind blows]
[ominous music builds]
Ariff
[Samad] Ariff!
Ariff!
Ariff!
Ariff!
[distant birds chirping]
[Zahara] Leatherbacks used
to come here to lay eggs.
But not anymore.
You should update your notes.
They're outdated.
How long have you been here?
Too long for me to remember
Are your parents still on the mainland?
No.
They've returned to our maker.
They were from Aceh.
We came to this country when I was ten.
I thought you were researching turtles,
not me.
Well, you said you haven't seen
any leatherback turtles.
We share this island with ghosts,
and not much else.
[brooding music starts]
[music intensifies]
[water splashing]
[Samad] My phone died. Just stay put.
I need a bit more time.
Wait for my orders.
[music fades out]
[Samad] Hey, kid. Do you have rice?
[clanking]
[Samad] What happens in that comic?
She meets a handsome Muslim boy.
He has superpowers too.
They fall in love.
So they live happily ever after?
No.
He turns out to be evil.
He betrays her.
Ah. Classic.
Do you know this story?
[turning pages]
A pair of turtles lived
together in the ocean.
- [melancholic music starts]
- [waves plashing]
[underwater ambiance]
[Samad] One day, a storm came.
The ocean turned violent.
[seagull cawing]
The male turtle ended up
on a strange island.
- [music continues]
- [faint sound of waves plashing]
As he wandered about,
a hermit crab came along
and told him of a magical pool nearby.
The pool was said to be
filled with jellyfish,
kelp, and all kinds of fish.
But the hermit crab warned him
that he must not touch
anything in the pool.
The male turtle went to the magical pool.
He remembered the words
of the hermit crab.
But he couldn't resist.
[music intensifies]
As he returned to the beach,
the turtle slowly turned to stone.
His legs, his shell,
and, finally, his head
all turned to stone.
[ambient music playing]
[hypnotic violin melody]
[music intensifies]
[faint drum beat]
[faint drum beat]
[percussion beats]
[flute melody]
[percussion intensifies]
[percussion music stops]
[dark ambient music playing]
[music continues]
[ominous violin melody]
[music builds]
[music abruptly diminishes]
Thank you for participating in the ritual.
[slow drum beat]
A prince lusted over by seven sirens?
Our version isn't quite the same.
Wait.
I know you're not a fisher.
You steal and sell turtle eggs.
I have no intention of interfering
with what you do.
I just want to finish my research.
Okay?
[music fades out]
[distant waves]
[Zahara] They come during the night
and lay their eggs here
when the tide goes out.
Where are the eggs?
They were traded this morning.
What do you get for them?
[Zahara] For the green and brown
turtle eggs, RM 4 each.
For the leatherbacks,
RM 2500.
[water dripping]
[water dripping]
[Zahara] Are you upset
that we are killing the very thing
you're trying to save?
I'm not upset about that.
- [loud thud]
- [Zahara screams and gasps]
[Zahara gasps]
[tense music builds]
- My brother, Ariff
- [Zahara groaning]
He came here a few days ago.
I want to know what you did to him!
Your brother was screaming your name
when we cut out his tongue.
He's joined the rest of the ghosts here.
[ominous piano melody]
Ariff!
[Samad] I told you not to come here!
[Samad cries]
Why didn't you listen to me?!
Ariff!
[narrator] Overwhelmed
with sorrow for his dead brother,
the man was not aware that
the sea urchin was poisonous.
- Its toxins had traveled to his heart.
- [retching]
[ominous string melody]
[Samad groaning]
[Samad groans]
[Samad groans, whimpering]
The boatman told you we kill
uninvited guests, didn't he?
[Zahara gasping]
- [stabbing sound]
- [Zahara groans]
[Zahara gasps]
[ominous violin melody]
[melody continues]
[drum beats]
[drum beats]
[drum beats]
[drum beats]
[music fades out]
[distant waves]
[water splashing]
You fell asleep.
[water splashing]
[distant engine sound]
[man] Okay. Turn a little to your left.
Tilt up.
Okay. One, two
Three.
Okay, thank you.
[indistinct chatter]
Your documents?
Documents
[plastic rustling]
I left my documents
What are you here for then?
Miss, don't waste my time
if you don't have the forms.
Mrs. Nora!
Mrs. Nora!
There's a man here.
[eerie music starts]
I'm from the Science University. Samad.
[music fades out]
Is this your first time here?
These are tomato jellyfish.
They're the leatherbacks' favorite food.
They have tentacles like a lion's mane.
I'd like to look around here
if you don't mind.
[birds and insects chirping]
[birds chirping distorted]
[soft music starts]
What are you reading?
Ms. Marvel and Loki.
Is Loki a good or bad guy?
He's both. And he's funny.
[music fades out]
[distant birds chirping and waves]
Tell me, what day is it today?
Tuesday.
And what did we do yesterday?
We went to the registry in town
but they said we needed a picture.
But the shop was closed.
You didn't see that man yesterday?
I got you something.
For your schoolwork.
I don't want to go to school.
Why not?
You've never been. Maybe you'll like it.
I won't like it.
Well, you can't read comics all day.
You can learn a lot from comics, actually.
Like how purple smoothies are spiked
with mind-controlling nano-viruses?
And you shouldn't trust people
just because they are nice.
Nika, bring your pencil case.
I still need a sharpener.
I'll get it later.
Today, I want you to play in here.
No wandering around.
[soft music builds]
Do you know this place?
[narrator] The man again offered money
for the woman's services.
Not knowing what else to do, she accepted.
[music intensifies]
You remind me of my first love,
Mariana.
Last night, I dreamt I was
holding her in my arms.
Just like now.
- [ominous music]
- [Zahara breathing rapidly]
[waves lapping]
[gagging]
[Zahara] What did the boatman say to you
when he refused
to bring you to our island?
- [insects and birds chirping]
- [heavy breathing]
He said you were a bunch of savages.
He's not wrong.
[Samad panting] Why live here?
You can find work easier on the mainland.
[heavy breathing]
And be treated like a ghost?
I'd rather be alive on an island of ghosts
than be a ghost in the land of living.
I know what you do here.
I know you poach turtle eggs
and sell them.
So you've come to take away my livelihood?
No.
[distorted birds chirping]
[ominous music builds]
[ominous melody continues]
My phone died.
Just stay put.
Don't do anything until I tell you to.
[melody fades out]
[chirping normalizes]
[insects buzzing]
[Samad] Do you have rice?
Do you know this story?
The turtle slowly turned to stone.
His legs, his shell,
and, finally, his head
all turned to stone.
[narrator] When he looked
into the girl's eyes,
the man felt he was looking
at a reflection of himself.
Are you really a turtle scientist?
Come with me.
[Samad panting]
Can you help them?
I tried to feed them insects
but they didn't want to eat.
[birds chirping]
We've to protect the other eggs
from predators.
[soft melody builds]
[drum beats]
[ominous music]
[sustained ominous tones]
[music fades out]
- [distant waves]
- [birds chirping]
I took one of your books.
I hope you don't mind.
The story is supposed to end
with the turtle turning to stone.
But you wrote an addendum.
May I read it?
[melancholic music builds]
[Samad] The female turtle wept
when she saw her mate turned to stone.
Her tears flowed into the ocean
and created a storm.
She met the hermit crab
who told her
that in order to break
the male turtle's curse,
she had to find a special flower
that grew atop the tallest mountain.
This flower bloomed only during
the full moon eclipse.
[music mellows]
[Samad] As years went by,
the female searched for the flower.
But to no avail.
[music builds]
[seagull cawing]
[music fades]
[waves lapping]
[distant birds chirping]
I think her quest is
romantic.
You find it romantic?
A love story with a poet's ending.
A poet's ending is always tragic.
[heavy breathing]
[Samad gasps]
[Samad grunts]
[Samad choking]
[Samad choking]
[heavy breathing]
Your brother came here a few days ago
with the intention of
muscling in on our business.
[choking] My brother
Did you kill him?
[grunting and choking]
His fate was kinder than my sister's.
[choking] Your sister?
[Samad gasping]
Tell me, why pose as a turtle researcher?
[Samad grunts]
[distant birds chirping]
I don't care what he told you.
He's not a good person.
[quiet ominous music]
[music builds]
My sister died because of you.
Your brother died because of you too.
I don't know you.
I don't know your sister!
I was much younger the first time we met.
You don't recognize her?
I don't!
- I don't!
- [music intensifies]
[music crescendos]
[Zahara gasping]
[music fades]
[eerie music]
[distorted chirping]
- [Nika screams]
- [music suddenly intensifies]
Nika?
Nika!
Nika!
[ominous melody]
Nika! Nika!
Nika!
- [ominous melody]
- Nika! Nika!
Nika!
[high pitch flute]
[music fades out]
[somber melody builds]
[music stops]
[Zahara panting]
[waves crashing]
[eerie music]
[water flowing]
[ominous music continues]
[music intensifies]
[heavy breathing]
[Zahara grunts]
[gasping]
[melody diminishes]
[slow drum beats]
[grandmother] Every soul will taste death.
You will receive your full reward
on the Day of Judgment.
Those spared from the Fire
are admitted into Paradise,
whereas the life of this world is no more
than the delusion of enjoyment.
Allah never delays a soul when
its appointed time comes.
[loud thud]
[narrator] The little girl
had been born out of wedlock.
When she turned seven,
her grandparents decided to
reclaim the family's honor.
[brooding music builds]
[narrator] The woman took
the little girl to an island,
one that she had heard stories about
as a child.
[ominous music continues]
[narrator]At first, they
ate the turtle eggs.
But the woman soon discovered
a black market for them.
[indistinct chatter]
Of course he wants to eat first.
- Of course.
- We can't trust him.
[men laughing]
[ominous note plays]
[distant conversation]
[men laughing]
[distant birds chirping]
[narrator] She knew word of her enterprise
would travel to the man,
like ants to a discarded candy bar.
But it was the man's younger brother
who came instead.
[tense music]
[drum beats]
[Ariff grunting]
[tense music intensifies]
- [Ariff screams]
- [music crescendos]
[music diminishes]
- [music fades out]
- [water splashing]
[distant waves]
I had a dream I fell
in the ocean and drowned.
[indistinct chatter]
Her father's a citizen?
Where is he? He needs to be present.
He's just passed away.
Have you filed for a death certificate?
Not yet.
- Fill out this form
- [pages rustling]
and bring his identity card.
I'll be back soon.
Promise me you won't go anywhere.
[eerie music builds]
Where's Nika?
I changed the plan.
[eerie music playing]
[Zahara grunts]
[Zahara grunts]
[Samad groans]
[Samad screaming]
[hypnotic music starts]
[heavy breathing]
[music continues]
This ritual is used
to ward off evil sea spirits
and to ensure safe passage
through the seas.
But it can also be used to curse someone.
For some,
a curse is worse than death.
[heavy breathing]
[drum beats]
Ariff!
Ariff!
Ariff! Ariff. Ariff!
My brother didn't deserve to die!
Neither did my sister.
I was 15.
My sister and I
used to work at the market.
One night, after closing time,
you waited for me.
[suspenseful drum beats]
[dark music playing]
You were drunk,
so I doubt you remember me.
But I remember everything.
Your smell, like charcoal.
[suspenseful drum beats]
It makes me want to gag even now.
[grunting]
[music intensifies]
[melody changes]
I was too young to be a mother.
My sister took my sin
and claimed my child as her own.
She paid for what happened to me
[heavy breathing]
with her own life!
[muffled grunting]
I swore one day I would avenge her.
An eye for an eye.
Your brother and you
for my sister!
[muffled screaming]
[Zahara grunts]
[choking]
[suspenseful music]
[heavy breathing]
My brother won't be alone in hell, bitch!
My men had their way with her.
She's your daughter!
[Zahara panting]
Nika!
[Zahara gasps]
[drum beats]
[somber violin melody]
[music intensifies]
[music stops abruptly]
- [music tails off]
- [distant waves]
[choking]
[coughing]
[somber music]
Nika.
Nika.
[heavy breathing]
[dark music continues]
[choking] I
I remember you.
At the market, at night
Your sister had to make a delivery
so I offered to drive you home.
You accepted.
You fell asleep in the car.
Your hair was covering your face.
When I parted your hair
I saw my first love, Mariana.
I swear I thought you were her.
I didn't plan it.
I didn't mean to do anything to you.
I'm
sorr...
[Samad choking]
[gurgling]
[gurgling]
[Samad thuds]
[distant rumbling waves]
[water dripping]
[water splashes]
My daughter
[distant waves]
[ominous music builds]
[drum beats]
[music fades out]
[Zahara] Can I read it to you?
The female turtle searched for the flower.
But each time she reached the mountaintop,
the flower had wilted
and the eclipse had ended.
Years went by.
The turtle was old now.
She was now blind in one eye.
She climbed the mountain.
This time, the flower was there.
She took it.
[pensive music playing]
She brought the flower to the male turtle.
At that moment,
the turtle realized she couldn't remember
why she had spent her whole life
on this quest.
[seagull crying]
[music continues]
The male turtle returned to life.
[gentle string melody]
But the female turtle was gone.
The male turtle looked for her.
He returned to the ocean
and spent an eternity searching for her.
- [music fades]
- [waves lapping]
[distant waves]
[water dripping]
[gasping]
Nika.
Nika!
Nika!
Nika!
Nika!
[distant waves]
[distant birds chirping]
[narrator] Her daughter was gone.
- [cicadas buzzing]
- [distant waves]
Yes!
You drink.
I don't want to.
My husband was such a shithead.
When we were having sex,
he would stop halfway,
take out a measuring tape,
and ask me to measure his cock.
[fire crackling]
He would get angry if I lied.
But he was never satisfied with his size.
12 cm, 13 cm, 14 cm
It was never long enough.
He said if he hit optimum conditions,
he could be 17 or 18 cm long.
I told him
even Black men aren't so big!
But he wouldn't listen.
He blamed me for not "exciting" him.
So I had a fake ruler made.
On this ruler, his dick was 19 cm long!
He was very happy.
Finally, he had achieved his dream.
What about my dreams?
I wanted to be a dancer when I was young.
Did he care? No.
So I left him.
I packed my bags
and told him I was leaving.
He was so angry he tried to strangle me.
Look, you can still see the marks.
[sighs]
[distant rumbling waves]
Mia!
[Zahara] Where's your boat?
[distant birds chirping]
- [birds chirping]
- [insects buzzing]
[chirping and buzzing intensifies]
[somber music playing]
[music continues]
[soft melody]
[music continues]
[paper rustling]
[music continues]
[music fades out]
[distorted birds chirping]
[waves and chirping continues]
[closing credits music]
[distant waves crashing]
[sinister note plays]
[sinister music playing]
[sinister music continues playing]
[sinister music, sound of waves
both slowly fading]
- [glasses clinking]
- [woman pouring drink]
[distant birds chirping]
[grandmother] Every soul will taste death.
You will only receive your full reward
on the Day of Judgment.
Those spared from the Fire
are admitted into Paradise,
whereas the life of this world is no more
than the delusion of enjoyment.
Allah never delays a soul when
its appointed time comes
[grandfather] You dishonored the family.
[loud thud]
- [glasses clanking]
- [choking]
[gasping]
- [loud thud]
- [gasping]
[dark music builds]
[distant waves plashing]
[music fades]
[distant engine sound]
[waves splashing]
You fell asleep.
[distant engine sound]
[traffic noise]
[car honking]
[man] Okay. Turn a little to the left.
Tilt your chin up.
Okay. One, two, three.
[papers rustling]
[indistinct chatter]
[printing noise]
[shop attendant calls name indistinctly]
[printing noise continues]
[phone ringing]
[indistinct chatter continues]
[man] Ms. Zahara Anggi.
- [phone ringing]
- [whispers indistinctly]
[phone ringing]
I have her picture now.
ID card?
[phone ringing]
[officer] We don't recognize
the refugee card.
Do you have a red ID?
Stone Turtle Island?
I didn't know people lived there.
Who is the child?
My niece.
[officer] Where is the mother?
She's passed on.
Non-citizens can't register for school.
But I heard anyone can apply
to local schools now.
[officer] That's only in Kuala Lumpur.
We don't have enough classes
here for refugees.
She's already ten
and she hasn't been to school.
Please help us.
Can you wait?
Mrs. Nora!
They told me yesterday that I could
present my case to the officer.
She needs to go to school
You need the ministry's approval.
So there's no point
talking to the officer.
Her father's a citizen.
Why isn't he here?
He needs to be present.
[phone ringing]
[brooding music playing]
[brooding music continues]
[music fades]
There's a man here.
[restless music playing]
[music fades]
The boatman refused to bring
the boat to shore.
Are you an immigration inspector?
No.
Police?
I'm from Universiti Sains.
Samad.
[distant birds chirping]
What brings you to this island?
I'm on a research trip.
To find leatherback turtles.
There are no leatherback turtles here.
[man grunts]
You see these tomato jellyfish?
Leatherbacks love eating them.
Tomato jellyfish have fine tentacles.
Like a lion's mane.
I know what they are.
Do you mind if I spend the day
looking around?
Do as you wish.
The island doesn't belong to us.
[repeated thudding]
[thudding]
- [ominous music playing]
- [distant birds chirping]
[music intensifies]
[music continues]
- [music continues]
- [birds chirping]
[water splashing]
[ominous music playing]
[music builds]
[music fades]
[distant birds chirping]
What are you reading?
It's about a Muslim girl
who gets a superpower
after inhaling some chemical gas.
What type of superpowers?
She can stretch her arms, legs, and body.
She can also change sizes.
Like an elastic band?
Yes. But her parents are super strict.
[Nika] She's always getting grounded
Nika!
What did the man talk to you about?
About the comic.
What comic?
I found it at the town registry.
You'll have to read schoolbooks soon.
I don't want to go to school.
Why not?
You can't just be reading useless comics.
They're not useless.
They taught me many things.
Like what?
Like if we get attacked
by poisonous chemical gases,
we can dig an underground bunker
and use plants to filter the gas.
The comic taught you that?
Also, if someone offers you a
free purple smoothie,
it might be spiked with a nano-virus
that can control your brain.
So no purple smoothie then.
Yup.
Nika, go get your pencil case.
I got you a new pen.
I need a sharpener.
[pencil case clanking]
I'll get you one soon.
[distant birds chirping]
[distant waves]
Where are all the men?
They've gone out to the sea.
They return every few weeks.
This is the common green turtle.
It's not what I'm looking for.
Dead carcasses do get
washed up every now and then.
Do you know this place?
I can give you directions.
I need someone to guide me around.
I'll pay you.
[peaceful music starts slowly and builds]
[water splashing]
[music fades out]
[Samad] There are no men here, are there?
I guess you were just being cautious.
How many of you live here?
Eight of us,
including the children.
The little girl, is she your?
My niece.
Her mother?
She's passed on.
Does she go to school?
She's not allowed to.
And how do you make ends meet?
We sell fish.
Have we met before?
[dark music starts]
[music continues]
[music fades out]
[distant waves and birds chirping]
[Samad panting]
[footsteps in the water]
[Samad keeps panting]
[distorted chirping]
[ominous music starts]
[music and chirping intensify]
[man grunting]
[gasping]
[music and chirping continue]
[Samad sobs]
[sobbing]
[sobbing]
[music fades out]
[Samad grunts]
[heavy breathing]
[Samad] I read this island is shaped
like a giant turtle.
[Zahara] I was told it was shaped like
a sleeping pregnant woman.
Same island, different myths.
[distant birds chirping]
You don't miss it? Civilization?
Watching movies?
Listening to music?
I can watch a movie if I want to.
[music continues]
[music fades into the sound
of waves plashing]
Your first location is over there.
[waves rumble]
[wind blows]
[ominous music builds]
Ariff
[Samad] Ariff!
Ariff!
Ariff!
Ariff!
[distant birds chirping]
[Zahara] Leatherbacks used
to come here to lay eggs.
But not anymore.
You should update your notes.
They're outdated.
How long have you been here?
Too long for me to remember
Are your parents still on the mainland?
No.
They've returned to our maker.
They were from Aceh.
We came to this country when I was ten.
I thought you were researching turtles,
not me.
Well, you said you haven't seen
any leatherback turtles.
We share this island with ghosts,
and not much else.
[brooding music starts]
[music intensifies]
[water splashing]
[Samad] My phone died. Just stay put.
I need a bit more time.
Wait for my orders.
[music fades out]
[Samad] Hey, kid. Do you have rice?
[clanking]
[Samad] What happens in that comic?
She meets a handsome Muslim boy.
He has superpowers too.
They fall in love.
So they live happily ever after?
No.
He turns out to be evil.
He betrays her.
Ah. Classic.
Do you know this story?
[turning pages]
A pair of turtles lived
together in the ocean.
- [melancholic music starts]
- [waves plashing]
[underwater ambiance]
[Samad] One day, a storm came.
The ocean turned violent.
[seagull cawing]
The male turtle ended up
on a strange island.
- [music continues]
- [faint sound of waves plashing]
As he wandered about,
a hermit crab came along
and told him of a magical pool nearby.
The pool was said to be
filled with jellyfish,
kelp, and all kinds of fish.
But the hermit crab warned him
that he must not touch
anything in the pool.
The male turtle went to the magical pool.
He remembered the words
of the hermit crab.
But he couldn't resist.
[music intensifies]
As he returned to the beach,
the turtle slowly turned to stone.
His legs, his shell,
and, finally, his head
all turned to stone.
[ambient music playing]
[hypnotic violin melody]
[music intensifies]
[faint drum beat]
[faint drum beat]
[percussion beats]
[flute melody]
[percussion intensifies]
[percussion music stops]
[dark ambient music playing]
[music continues]
[ominous violin melody]
[music builds]
[music abruptly diminishes]
Thank you for participating in the ritual.
[slow drum beat]
A prince lusted over by seven sirens?
Our version isn't quite the same.
Wait.
I know you're not a fisher.
You steal and sell turtle eggs.
I have no intention of interfering
with what you do.
I just want to finish my research.
Okay?
[music fades out]
[distant waves]
[Zahara] They come during the night
and lay their eggs here
when the tide goes out.
Where are the eggs?
They were traded this morning.
What do you get for them?
[Zahara] For the green and brown
turtle eggs, RM 4 each.
For the leatherbacks,
RM 2500.
[water dripping]
[water dripping]
[Zahara] Are you upset
that we are killing the very thing
you're trying to save?
I'm not upset about that.
- [loud thud]
- [Zahara screams and gasps]
[Zahara gasps]
[tense music builds]
- My brother, Ariff
- [Zahara groaning]
He came here a few days ago.
I want to know what you did to him!
Your brother was screaming your name
when we cut out his tongue.
He's joined the rest of the ghosts here.
[ominous piano melody]
Ariff!
[Samad] I told you not to come here!
[Samad cries]
Why didn't you listen to me?!
Ariff!
[narrator] Overwhelmed
with sorrow for his dead brother,
the man was not aware that
the sea urchin was poisonous.
- Its toxins had traveled to his heart.
- [retching]
[ominous string melody]
[Samad groaning]
[Samad groans]
[Samad groans, whimpering]
The boatman told you we kill
uninvited guests, didn't he?
[Zahara gasping]
- [stabbing sound]
- [Zahara groans]
[Zahara gasps]
[ominous violin melody]
[melody continues]
[drum beats]
[drum beats]
[drum beats]
[drum beats]
[music fades out]
[distant waves]
[water splashing]
You fell asleep.
[water splashing]
[distant engine sound]
[man] Okay. Turn a little to your left.
Tilt up.
Okay. One, two
Three.
Okay, thank you.
[indistinct chatter]
Your documents?
Documents
[plastic rustling]
I left my documents
What are you here for then?
Miss, don't waste my time
if you don't have the forms.
Mrs. Nora!
Mrs. Nora!
There's a man here.
[eerie music starts]
I'm from the Science University. Samad.
[music fades out]
Is this your first time here?
These are tomato jellyfish.
They're the leatherbacks' favorite food.
They have tentacles like a lion's mane.
I'd like to look around here
if you don't mind.
[birds and insects chirping]
[birds chirping distorted]
[soft music starts]
What are you reading?
Ms. Marvel and Loki.
Is Loki a good or bad guy?
He's both. And he's funny.
[music fades out]
[distant birds chirping and waves]
Tell me, what day is it today?
Tuesday.
And what did we do yesterday?
We went to the registry in town
but they said we needed a picture.
But the shop was closed.
You didn't see that man yesterday?
I got you something.
For your schoolwork.
I don't want to go to school.
Why not?
You've never been. Maybe you'll like it.
I won't like it.
Well, you can't read comics all day.
You can learn a lot from comics, actually.
Like how purple smoothies are spiked
with mind-controlling nano-viruses?
And you shouldn't trust people
just because they are nice.
Nika, bring your pencil case.
I still need a sharpener.
I'll get it later.
Today, I want you to play in here.
No wandering around.
[soft music builds]
Do you know this place?
[narrator] The man again offered money
for the woman's services.
Not knowing what else to do, she accepted.
[music intensifies]
You remind me of my first love,
Mariana.
Last night, I dreamt I was
holding her in my arms.
Just like now.
- [ominous music]
- [Zahara breathing rapidly]
[waves lapping]
[gagging]
[Zahara] What did the boatman say to you
when he refused
to bring you to our island?
- [insects and birds chirping]
- [heavy breathing]
He said you were a bunch of savages.
He's not wrong.
[Samad panting] Why live here?
You can find work easier on the mainland.
[heavy breathing]
And be treated like a ghost?
I'd rather be alive on an island of ghosts
than be a ghost in the land of living.
I know what you do here.
I know you poach turtle eggs
and sell them.
So you've come to take away my livelihood?
No.
[distorted birds chirping]
[ominous music builds]
[ominous melody continues]
My phone died.
Just stay put.
Don't do anything until I tell you to.
[melody fades out]
[chirping normalizes]
[insects buzzing]
[Samad] Do you have rice?
Do you know this story?
The turtle slowly turned to stone.
His legs, his shell,
and, finally, his head
all turned to stone.
[narrator] When he looked
into the girl's eyes,
the man felt he was looking
at a reflection of himself.
Are you really a turtle scientist?
Come with me.
[Samad panting]
Can you help them?
I tried to feed them insects
but they didn't want to eat.
[birds chirping]
We've to protect the other eggs
from predators.
[soft melody builds]
[drum beats]
[ominous music]
[sustained ominous tones]
[music fades out]
- [distant waves]
- [birds chirping]
I took one of your books.
I hope you don't mind.
The story is supposed to end
with the turtle turning to stone.
But you wrote an addendum.
May I read it?
[melancholic music builds]
[Samad] The female turtle wept
when she saw her mate turned to stone.
Her tears flowed into the ocean
and created a storm.
She met the hermit crab
who told her
that in order to break
the male turtle's curse,
she had to find a special flower
that grew atop the tallest mountain.
This flower bloomed only during
the full moon eclipse.
[music mellows]
[Samad] As years went by,
the female searched for the flower.
But to no avail.
[music builds]
[seagull cawing]
[music fades]
[waves lapping]
[distant birds chirping]
I think her quest is
romantic.
You find it romantic?
A love story with a poet's ending.
A poet's ending is always tragic.
[heavy breathing]
[Samad gasps]
[Samad grunts]
[Samad choking]
[Samad choking]
[heavy breathing]
Your brother came here a few days ago
with the intention of
muscling in on our business.
[choking] My brother
Did you kill him?
[grunting and choking]
His fate was kinder than my sister's.
[choking] Your sister?
[Samad gasping]
Tell me, why pose as a turtle researcher?
[Samad grunts]
[distant birds chirping]
I don't care what he told you.
He's not a good person.
[quiet ominous music]
[music builds]
My sister died because of you.
Your brother died because of you too.
I don't know you.
I don't know your sister!
I was much younger the first time we met.
You don't recognize her?
I don't!
- I don't!
- [music intensifies]
[music crescendos]
[Zahara gasping]
[music fades]
[eerie music]
[distorted chirping]
- [Nika screams]
- [music suddenly intensifies]
Nika?
Nika!
Nika!
[ominous melody]
Nika! Nika!
Nika!
- [ominous melody]
- Nika! Nika!
Nika!
[high pitch flute]
[music fades out]
[somber melody builds]
[music stops]
[Zahara panting]
[waves crashing]
[eerie music]
[water flowing]
[ominous music continues]
[music intensifies]
[heavy breathing]
[Zahara grunts]
[gasping]
[melody diminishes]
[slow drum beats]
[grandmother] Every soul will taste death.
You will receive your full reward
on the Day of Judgment.
Those spared from the Fire
are admitted into Paradise,
whereas the life of this world is no more
than the delusion of enjoyment.
Allah never delays a soul when
its appointed time comes.
[loud thud]
[narrator] The little girl
had been born out of wedlock.
When she turned seven,
her grandparents decided to
reclaim the family's honor.
[brooding music builds]
[narrator] The woman took
the little girl to an island,
one that she had heard stories about
as a child.
[ominous music continues]
[narrator]At first, they
ate the turtle eggs.
But the woman soon discovered
a black market for them.
[indistinct chatter]
Of course he wants to eat first.
- Of course.
- We can't trust him.
[men laughing]
[ominous note plays]
[distant conversation]
[men laughing]
[distant birds chirping]
[narrator] She knew word of her enterprise
would travel to the man,
like ants to a discarded candy bar.
But it was the man's younger brother
who came instead.
[tense music]
[drum beats]
[Ariff grunting]
[tense music intensifies]
- [Ariff screams]
- [music crescendos]
[music diminishes]
- [music fades out]
- [water splashing]
[distant waves]
I had a dream I fell
in the ocean and drowned.
[indistinct chatter]
Her father's a citizen?
Where is he? He needs to be present.
He's just passed away.
Have you filed for a death certificate?
Not yet.
- Fill out this form
- [pages rustling]
and bring his identity card.
I'll be back soon.
Promise me you won't go anywhere.
[eerie music builds]
Where's Nika?
I changed the plan.
[eerie music playing]
[Zahara grunts]
[Zahara grunts]
[Samad groans]
[Samad screaming]
[hypnotic music starts]
[heavy breathing]
[music continues]
This ritual is used
to ward off evil sea spirits
and to ensure safe passage
through the seas.
But it can also be used to curse someone.
For some,
a curse is worse than death.
[heavy breathing]
[drum beats]
Ariff!
Ariff!
Ariff! Ariff. Ariff!
My brother didn't deserve to die!
Neither did my sister.
I was 15.
My sister and I
used to work at the market.
One night, after closing time,
you waited for me.
[suspenseful drum beats]
[dark music playing]
You were drunk,
so I doubt you remember me.
But I remember everything.
Your smell, like charcoal.
[suspenseful drum beats]
It makes me want to gag even now.
[grunting]
[music intensifies]
[melody changes]
I was too young to be a mother.
My sister took my sin
and claimed my child as her own.
She paid for what happened to me
[heavy breathing]
with her own life!
[muffled grunting]
I swore one day I would avenge her.
An eye for an eye.
Your brother and you
for my sister!
[muffled screaming]
[Zahara grunts]
[choking]
[suspenseful music]
[heavy breathing]
My brother won't be alone in hell, bitch!
My men had their way with her.
She's your daughter!
[Zahara panting]
Nika!
[Zahara gasps]
[drum beats]
[somber violin melody]
[music intensifies]
[music stops abruptly]
- [music tails off]
- [distant waves]
[choking]
[coughing]
[somber music]
Nika.
Nika.
[heavy breathing]
[dark music continues]
[choking] I
I remember you.
At the market, at night
Your sister had to make a delivery
so I offered to drive you home.
You accepted.
You fell asleep in the car.
Your hair was covering your face.
When I parted your hair
I saw my first love, Mariana.
I swear I thought you were her.
I didn't plan it.
I didn't mean to do anything to you.
I'm
sorr...
[Samad choking]
[gurgling]
[gurgling]
[Samad thuds]
[distant rumbling waves]
[water dripping]
[water splashes]
My daughter
[distant waves]
[ominous music builds]
[drum beats]
[music fades out]
[Zahara] Can I read it to you?
The female turtle searched for the flower.
But each time she reached the mountaintop,
the flower had wilted
and the eclipse had ended.
Years went by.
The turtle was old now.
She was now blind in one eye.
She climbed the mountain.
This time, the flower was there.
She took it.
[pensive music playing]
She brought the flower to the male turtle.
At that moment,
the turtle realized she couldn't remember
why she had spent her whole life
on this quest.
[seagull crying]
[music continues]
The male turtle returned to life.
[gentle string melody]
But the female turtle was gone.
The male turtle looked for her.
He returned to the ocean
and spent an eternity searching for her.
- [music fades]
- [waves lapping]
[distant waves]
[water dripping]
[gasping]
Nika.
Nika!
Nika!
Nika!
Nika!
[distant waves]
[distant birds chirping]
[narrator] Her daughter was gone.
- [cicadas buzzing]
- [distant waves]
Yes!
You drink.
I don't want to.
My husband was such a shithead.
When we were having sex,
he would stop halfway,
take out a measuring tape,
and ask me to measure his cock.
[fire crackling]
He would get angry if I lied.
But he was never satisfied with his size.
12 cm, 13 cm, 14 cm
It was never long enough.
He said if he hit optimum conditions,
he could be 17 or 18 cm long.
I told him
even Black men aren't so big!
But he wouldn't listen.
He blamed me for not "exciting" him.
So I had a fake ruler made.
On this ruler, his dick was 19 cm long!
He was very happy.
Finally, he had achieved his dream.
What about my dreams?
I wanted to be a dancer when I was young.
Did he care? No.
So I left him.
I packed my bags
and told him I was leaving.
He was so angry he tried to strangle me.
Look, you can still see the marks.
[sighs]
[distant rumbling waves]
Mia!
[Zahara] Where's your boat?
[distant birds chirping]
- [birds chirping]
- [insects buzzing]
[chirping and buzzing intensifies]
[somber music playing]
[music continues]
[soft melody]
[music continues]
[paper rustling]
[music continues]
[music fades out]
[distorted birds chirping]
[waves and chirping continues]
[closing credits music]