In the desert hills of the Indonesian island of Sumba, newly widowed Marlina sits in her isolated farm with the embalmed body of her dead husband. Without his protection, entitled men swarm over the farm, stealing the cattle. One of the thieves, struts into Marlina’s cottage and explains his gang’s intentions to help themselves to Marlina’s belongings, money, and body. He orders Marlina to make soup for the men, but little does he know that she has a secret recipe—and she knows her way around a machete.

Marlina hits the road seeking justice, encountering several splendid female characters including talkative Novi whose baby refuses to be born in a world where women are so devalued.

Hailed as “a thoroughly enjoyable, visually ravishing feminist Western” by Screen International, Mouly Surya’s latest rocked the house at its Cannes premiere with audiences rooting for Marlina.