Mouly Surya’s Ghost Drama Explores Polygamy at Busan

Indonesian director Mouly Surya, known for the film Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, is developing a new drama titled The Wife Who Can See Dead People (Or Jinn). The project was selected for the Asian Project Market, which operates as part of the Asian Contents & Film Market during the Busan International Film Festival.

The narrative centers on Gadis, a 20-year-old woman who becomes the fourth wife of Abi, a 50-year-old man. When Gadis reveals that she sees ghosts, Abi corrects her, explaining that Islamic doctrine does not recognize the dead as ghosts but rather as jinn, spirits capable of assuming various forms, including those of deceased individuals.

Within the household, Gadis forms a close bond with Indah, the third wife, who is 35 and has a seven-year-old son named Firman. Indah instructs Gadis on domestic duties and marital expectations, while Gadis cares for Firman, who is the only family member to take her supernatural claims seriously.

The plot intensifies when Abi travels overseas and Firman goes missing. Gadis teams up with a group of ghosts to assist Indah in the search. After the boy’s body is discovered near a river, the wives face a conflict between their solidarity and adherence to their husband’s wishes and religious traditions.

Surya described the subject matter as deeply personal, noting that members of her immediate family practice polygamy and that a close friend reports seeing ghosts. “These are stories that are very close to me personally but one I always have questions for,” she said.

The director highlighted several contradictions inherent in the story’s setting. Indonesia holds the world’s largest Muslim population yet is not an Islamic state. While the populace believes in ghosts, the Quran contains no such concept. Furthermore, although scripture allows men to have multiple wives, Indonesian law does not legally recognize these unions.

Surya stated that observing polygamous families evokes a complex mix of pity, judgment, empathy, and fascination with the camaraderie among the wives.