Farornas paradis: A weird, dusty look at old-school drama

Is this worth a watch?

Honestly, only if you have a thing for old, slightly dusty cinema and don't mind when a plot feels like it’s being held together by duct tape. If you want something brisk and punchy, skip it. If you like watching characters walk into rooms and just stare at each other while the tension—or lack of it—hangs in the air, you’ll probably find something to latch onto here.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Farornas paradis (1931) through its definitive frames.

It’s a weird movie. Set in a hotel in Surabaya that clearly isn't just selling rooms, the whole thing has this uncomfortable, humid energy. Anita is right in the middle of it, stuck between a bandleader and a hotel owner who are basically fighting over her like she’s a piece of furniture. It’s gross, but the movie doesn't seem to know how to frame that, so it just keeps happening.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Farornas paradis (1931) through its definitive frames.

There’s a scene about halfway through where they’re all in the lobby and the lighting makes everyone look like they’re underwater. I spent five minutes just looking at the wallpaper. It’s peeling in a way that feels more authentic than half the dialogue.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Farornas paradis (1931) through its definitive frames.

Speaking of the dialogue, it’s… sparse. Sometimes I think they just forgot to give the actors lines for ten minutes at a time. It reminded me a bit of the slow, deliberate pace in The Marble Heart, where you feel the weight of every single frame, even when nothing is actually happening.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Farornas paradis (1931) through its definitive frames.

The orchestra stuff? It’s fine. It’s mostly there to give Anita something to do besides looking worried, which she does a lot. The bandleader character is a total creep, but the movie plays it like he’s just a misunderstood guy with a temper. That didn't sit right with me. It’s the kind of choice that makes you think the writer just wasn't paying attention to their own script. Maybe they weren't.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Farornas paradis (1931) through its definitive frames.

Random observations from my notebook:

• That one guy in the background of the hotel lobby who keeps adjusting his tie for like three full minutes.
• The music is surprisingly loud, then just vanishes into thin air.
• The way they talk about Surabaya makes it sound like a fictional planet instead of a real place.
• I think I saw a prop chair wobble when someone sat on it.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even really a 'good' movie by any standard metric. But there’s something about the way it just refuses to explain itself that kept me watching. It doesn't have the polish of The Winning of Barbara Worth, but it’s got this weird, jagged edge that I kind of respect. It feels like a movie made by people who had a lot of ideas but no idea how to organize them into a straight line. 🤷‍♂️

Don’t go in expecting a deep dive into human nature. Go in expecting to see some old-timey drama that’s mostly confused about what it wants to be. Sometimes that’s enough, right?