Sehidup Semati (2024) Review: Psychological Horror, Marriage, and Domestic Violence

 

Sehidup Semati | 2024 | 1h 48m
Another Title: Till Death Do Us Part
Genre: Horror / Thriller | Country: Indonesia
Director: Upi Avianto | Writer: Upi Avianto
Cast: Laura Basuki, Ario Bayu, Asmara Abigail
IMDb: 6.3
My Rating: 10/10

Renata, trapped in a marriage filled with violence and suspicions of her husband's infidelity, meets Asmara, her apartment neighbor, who gradually brings change into her life.

Warning:

Contains scenes of violence, strong language, sensitive topics, smoking, and alcohol.

What happens when the words “until death do us part” stop sounding like a promise and start feeling like a sentence?

That is the uncomfortable thought I had while watching Sehidup Semati (2024). The film does not present marriage simply as a place where two people love and protect each other. Instead, it asks what happens when the idea of preserving a marriage becomes so deeply embedded in someone that she continues to endure pain, even when the relationship itself has become destructive.

Renata (Laura Basuki) lives in a marriage that is slowly becoming a nightmare. Edwin (Ario Bayu) initially appears to love her deeply, which is why Renata chooses to marry him. But the image of a happy marriage does not last. Edwin changes and begins physically abusing her.

Her situation becomes even more complicated because Renata cannot have children. What makes her circumstances more painful is that she grew up witnessing a similar relationship between her own parents. Her mother was treated badly by her father, yet she repeatedly taught Renata that a woman should continue trying to preserve her marriage.

Renata hears the same message from religious sermons shown on television and heard in church: a wife should submit to her husband regardless of what happens.

So Renata holds on.

She chooses to protect her marriage even as she experiences treatment that should never be considered normal. Then another suspicion begins to haunt her. Edwin appears to be hiding another woman somewhere inside their apartment.

Renata hears someone humming from one of the rooms. She notices objects moving or appearing in places where she does not remember leaving them. But Edwin insists that everything is simply an illusion created by Renata's mind.

That uncertainty makes the situation even more disturbing. Is Renata discovering something that Edwin is hiding, or is she gradually losing trust in her own perception?

Then Asmara (Asmara Abigail) enters her life.

Asmara is almost the opposite of Renata. She dresses boldly, lives more freely, and seems far less concerned about how society judges her. She feels sorry for Renata and cannot understand why she continues to stay in such a toxic marriage.

Slowly, Renata begins to open up to her. She tells Asmara about the problems she has experienced, including the strange sounds in the apartment and her suspicion about Ana, a woman whose mother is desperately searching for her after she mysteriously disappears.

Renata suspects that Ana may be Edwin's mistress and that she is somehow hiding inside the apartment.

As Renata and Asmara become closer, something begins to change in Renata herself.

That development is one of the things I find most interesting about Sehidup Semati. The film is not only showing us an abusive marriage. It is also showing how a person's beliefs can become so deeply rooted that suffering starts to look like an obligation.

The idea itself feels disturbingly familiar within societies where patriarchal values remain strong. Women can still be treated as though they are less important than men, while husbands are given authority that can easily become control.

At the same time, women may be pressured to remain in a marriage at almost any cost because marriage is supposed to last “for life.” Divorce can still be seen by some people as shameful, particularly for women. As a result, some women endure physical or emotional abuse because they have been taught that leaving means failure.

This is where I think Sehidup Semati becomes more than a thriller.

It is a story about the way social expectations can become part of a person's inner voice.

Renata is not simply afraid of Edwin. She is also afraid of breaking the rules she has been taught to follow.

I find that particularly important because fear does not always come from the person hurting us. Sometimes it comes from the belief that we are supposed to tolerate the pain.

The film presents these ideas in a very artistic way. There are many metaphors, symbols, indirect conversations, and unusual ways of showing what the characters are thinking. Instead of explaining everything directly, the film often asks us to interpret what we see.

I personally enjoy that style, although I can understand why some viewers may find parts of the story difficult to follow.

The dialogue can also be quite harsh, especially when spoken by Asmara. There are many strong words, but for me, they do not feel excessive or disconnected from the story. They fit Asmara's personality and, in some scenes, the bluntness actually gives her words more weight.

The film's religious perspective may also make the subject sensitive. Because some of the ideas are presented through the lens of a particular religion, different viewers may respond differently depending on their own beliefs and interpretations. I think this part is best approached with an open mind rather than immediately treating the film as an attack on a particular faith.

Visually, I really appreciate the contrast between Renata's apartment and Asmara's. The differences in decoration and color help communicate their personalities without requiring much dialogue.

Renata's world feels controlled and restrained, while Asmara's space feels much more expressive. I like when visual choices can tell us something about a character before the character even says it.

The story itself is systematic, and the twists are not especially easy to predict. At times, I think viewers may feel confused, but that uncertainty becomes part of the attraction. Sehidup Semati is not the kind of thriller that I would recommend watching casually. It requires attention because small details can become important later.

The performances are another strong point for me. Laura Basuki portrays Renata very convincingly, particularly the quiet fear and emotional restraint that define her character. Her physical appearance also changes to fit Renata's circumstances, which makes the portrayal feel more committed.

The chemistry between Laura Basuki and Asmara Abigail is also one of the film's strengths. Their interactions feel natural rather than overly performed, and the dialogue delivery is generally convincing.

What I find most interesting, though, is how the film creates horror without relying heavily on ghosts or cheap jump scares.

The fear comes from the mind.

It comes from not knowing whether what you are seeing is real. It comes from living with someone who makes you question your own perception. It comes from being trapped inside a situation where the person who should protect you is the same person you are afraid of.

That kind of horror feels much closer to reality, and in some ways, that makes it more disturbing.

The scene that stayed with me most is when Renata finally visits Asmara's apartment to spend some time with her. She initially tries to calm herself by drinking a glass of alcohol that Asmara offers her.

Instead, Renata ends up drinking directly from the bottle.

And suddenly, we see a completely different side of her.

I really like this scene because it feels like something inside Renata finally breaks loose. The woman who has always been quiet, gentle, anxious, and restrained suddenly becomes much more expressive.

For me, the scene says something beyond drinking.

Sometimes people spend so much energy trying to look fine that they no longer know what their real emotional state feels like. They suppress anger, fear, disappointment, and frustration because they believe that keeping everything under control is the same as being strong.

But emotions do not simply disappear because we refuse to express them.

At some point, something becomes the trigger that allows everything we have been holding inside to come out.

The line, “Whatever happens, I have to preserve my marriage,” captures the mindset that keeps Renata trapped.

The saddest part is that she does not appear to be saying it because she is happy. She says it because she has been taught that this is what she must do.

And that made me think about how easily a principle can become harmful when we follow it without questioning whether it still fits our reality.

Commitment is valuable. Marriage matters. But protecting a relationship should never require someone to erase their own dignity, safety, or humanity.

That is why I find Sehidup Semati (2024) such an interesting psychological thriller. It uses marriage, social expectations, religious beliefs, fear, and manipulation to create a kind of horror that does not need supernatural creatures to feel frightening.

For me, the film's strongest quality is not simply its twist. It is the way it makes an ordinary word like “marriage” feel completely different once fear enters the room.

And perhaps that is the thought I was left with after watching it: when we keep holding on to something because we were taught that letting go is wrong, how do we know whether we are protecting a commitment—or slowly losing ourselves?

(Aluna Uwie)

Had been published in Alunauwie.com

"This article was originally written in Indonesian and has been adapted into English for international readers."

 

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