Kusno’s trilogy uncovers Indonesia’s hidden histories and the lasting effects of colonialism. Each film exposes the scars of a society shaped by silenced truths. Through layered narratives, the three works explore Indonesian struggle for justice and remembrance. The films are made using a range of formats, such as 35mm, Super 8, analogue video, and AI-generated images. They feature archival material and re-enactments, blurring the lines between fiction and documentary.
In Reversal, a young man dances uncontrollably. His bodily gestures connect him to past wounds he doesn’t fully understand. The film takes him to old colonial sugar mills, where he discovers ancestral trauma hidden within his body.
Drawing from magical realism and mysticism, After Colossus speaks about a time of fear and chaos. It is set during the fall of Suharto, Indonesia’s longest-serving president and military dictator. Researchers discover secret documents about “Project Rafflesia”, a covert operation linked to political unrest. The film shows how past power structures still influence the present.
Terra Incognita is conceived as an abstract index to the trilogy. The film explores the erasure of painful memories tied to mass mobilisation during Indonesia’s regime change. It examines how those in power shape history and how we understand and remember the past.
