Netflix’s popularity can be attributed to many different movies and shows, but, in my opinion, their horror anthology series Black Mirror was integral to their overnight success because I can remember obsessing over its brutal satire like it was yesterday. Then, the streaming platform’s Indian branch made Lust Stories, and the idea of provocative storytelling featuring Bollywood stars felt promising. Love, Death, and Robots became everyone’s favorite almost instantly, with its vivid style and precise storytelling. And then things sort of went downhill with absolutely trashy products like Ghost Stories, Ludo, Paava Kadhaigal, Pitta Kathalu, Ankahi Kahaniya, Ajeeb Dastans, Feels Like Ishq, Ray, and Lust Stories 2. The only diamond in the rough was Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. And it seems like Netflix has learned the right lesson from it and has brought another anthology series inspired by the works of an acclaimed director: Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams.
Nightmares and Daydreams comprises seven stories that seem self-contained but eventually come together in a thrilling fashion. The first episode in the anthology series is centered around Panji, his wife Rara, their son Hagi, Panji’s mother, Ranti, and the horrors that lie in the dungeons of a nursing home for the ultrarich. The second episode features a poor couple, Iyos and Ipah, who adopt a “demonic golden goose” child, Syafin, in the hopes of getting rich. The third episode has a novel writer called Rania who gets possessed by the spirit of her book’s protagonist, Laras, and the injuries that are inflicted upon Laras show up on Rania’s body too. The fourth episode is set in a fishing village, which becomes the center of everyone’s attention because Wahyu clicks the picture of an angel. The fifth episode is about the deterioration of a family of three—Dewi, Bandi, and Marhan—as Bandi becomes increasingly obsessed with his old workplace, a movie theater. In the sixth episode, Ali witnesses the debacle of his family’s ethics after he uses hypnosis to steal money from a woman. And the seventh episode follows a diamond appraiser, Valdya, as she searches for her missing sister, Dara, and finds herself in the clutches of a sinister cult.
The cinematic and thematic influences when it comes to the supernatural aspects of Nightmares and Daydreams are pretty evident. There are shades of A Cure for Wellness, Suspiria, Eyes Wide Shut, Omen, Sinister, The Amityville Horror, The Shining, Get Out, and The Void in each of the aforementioned episodes. I am not really sure about the “Avengers, assemble” aspect of the anthology series because it kind of ruins the uniqueness of each of the stories. The writers could’ve shown some restraint and allowed its commentary on Indonesia’s economy to be the connecting thread between the episodes instead of that on-the-nose team-up stuff, because said commentary is really potent. I loved the fact that the protagonists of each of the episodes were working-class people. Be it the ‘80s or the 2020s, all of them were suffering from some kind of financial crisis, and the writers drew a direct line between the declining economic condition of a country and the corruption of one’s soul. But instead of judging their actions, they chose to highlight their characters’ sense of empathy, resilience, and willingness to not allow the capitalist monsters to rule over the world without any kind of pushback.
There is a sort of universality to the stories. The fourth episode of Nightmares and Daydreams deals with the bulldozing of a fishing village because its inhabitants have been deemed illegal due to a little (possibly unconstitutional) tweak in the law of the land. This is happening in India as you read this sentence. The fifth episode deals with homelessness, the death of single-screen film theaters, and the erosion of the art of hand-painted film posters. All three of these issues are palpable across the globe as the rich keep building more homes and studios keep churning out “content” with little to no consideration for those who are or used to be an integral aspect of society. The first episode’s focus on elderly care, which is becoming seemingly impossible due to inflation, will be relatable for any South Asian joint family. The grounded storytelling is aptly balanced by its ambitious attempts at worldbuilding. The combined efforts of the directors, cinematographers, VFX artists, SFX artists, CGI artists, editors, production designers, costume designers, art directors, editors, stunt performers, and sound designers give you a concrete idea of the invisible war between humans and monsters. The budgetary limitations are apparent, but it’s competent enough to give you an immersive viewing experience.
The entire cast of Nightmares and Daydreams is fantastic. Ario Bayu and Faradina Mufti’s sense of frustration, which is clashing with their morality, is quite interesting. Yatti Surachman’s performance is absolutely heartbreaking. Sal Priadi has a good cameo. Yoga Pratama, Nirina Zubir, and Faqih Alaydrus are brilliant, with Pratama giving Ryan Reynolds, Jack Nicholson, and James Brolin a run for their money with his unhinged dad act. Marissa Anita channels the pains of every writer out there suffering from writer’s block, while Restu Sinaga makes you wish you had a friend like him to help you through said writer’s block. Lukman Sardi is amazing, but Ersa Mayori, Teuku Rifnu Wikana, Mike Lucock, and every single supporting actor in that village are pretty great too! Kiki Narendra does get a major portion of the spotlight, and he totally delivers, and when the focus shifts to Sita Nursanti in her episode’s third act, she knocks it out of the park. The sixth episode is my favorite, and Fachri Albar’s acting is a big reason for it. Poppy Sovia, Nafiza Fatia Rani, and Daood Saleem are good in the limited screen time that they get. Asmara Abigail is stunning, and the way her eyes are used in her episode is perfect.
I am a huge fan of Joko Anwar’s Impetigore and Gundala. So, it was a no-brainer for me to watch Nightmares and Daydreams. If you haven’t watched any of his work, I think this is a good place to start. Get familiar with his unique tone and macabre ideas, and if that’s your cup of tea, then definitely check out his feature films because they are influential in terms of the evolution of the horror genre. As mentioned before, anthologies can be very hit-or-miss. Nightmares and Daydreams is definitely a hit. All the stories are incredibly relevant, and since they’ve been visualized so ambitiously, I can’t help but applaud. I’ll admit that if these were restricted to short films or had better pacing, I would’ve enjoyed them even more. I don’t know how the anthology aspect of this series will work in a yet-to-be-announced Season 2 of the show, but I’ll take anything that comes out of the mind of Joko Anwar. So, as long as Anwar and his team of talented artists want to tell these oddball yet relatable stories and Netflix wants to air them, I’ll be seated to watch them.
