In this slow-burning suspense thriller from debut filmmaker Tumpal Tampubolon, a young man and his overbearing mother's lives on their isolated crocodile farm are turned upside down with the appearance of a young woman.
The expression “crocodile tears” is used to imply tears that are insincere. It came about because crocodiles are known to shed tears while devouring their prey. Experts say the tears are involuntary, possibly stemming from overstimulation while feeding. Strangely enough, the same teeth crocodiles use to bite into their prey are used to cradle their young. Then would they also shed tears while holding their offspring between their teeth? Tumpal Tampubolon’s slow-burning debut explores the emotional complexities that can exist between mothers and sons, especially with authoritarian parenting, which imposes power in the name of love.
Johan is a young man who lives with his Mama on their run-down, scarcely visited crocodile farm in West Java. He never asked for it, but his mother controls his every move. The farm is at the centre of their lives — the crocodiles keep them busy, and the work isolates them from the rest of the world. But the fraught balance of their day-to-day routine is turned upside down when a young woman enters Johan’s life.
Taut, suspenseful, and thrilling, Crocodile Tears is a family drama about the intimate — yet toxic — relationship between Mama and Johan. Is Mama really prioritizing Johan's best interest? Or is she mimicking crocodiles, whose tears might indicate compassion... or ruthless destruction?
JUNE KIM
Content advisory: violence, sexually suggestive scenes
Screenings
Scotiabank 5
Scotiabank 7
Scotiabank 6
Scotiabank 10