Headshot 2017

A comatose man of unknown identity lies in a rural hospital on a small island, cared for by Dr. Ailin. After two months, he wakes with no clear memory of how he was injured or who he is. To the surprise of everyone, he adopts the name Ishmael—a nod to the Moby-Dick Ailin is reading—anchoring his new identity as he learns that a beach discovery linked him to a man named Romli.

Across the water, a brutal power struggle unfolds. A mob boss, Lee, and his henchmen, Rika and Besi, ruthlessly wipe out a rival gang. A lone survivor whispers to Lee about the mysterious newcomer, and the boss dispatches Ishmael to investigate. A tense first confrontation follows when a thug threatens Ailin; Ishmael intervenes, and the two men tangle briefly as danger closes in on Ailin. In the meantime, Ailin travels to the mainland seeking better care for Ishmael, only to have her bus halted by Lee’s men who are hunting for Ishmael (whom they call Abdi). In the ensuing slaughter, all passengers die except Ailin and a young girl who is abducted.

Hearing the call, Ishmael and Romli hurry to the scene. Ishmael fights off a few of Lee’s men, and Romli is killed in the chaos. An Interpol agent later drops a harrowing revelation: Ishmael was one of children abducted and bred to serve the syndicate as loyal smugglers and enforcers. The agent is killed when Lee’s assassins assault the police station in a bid to capture Ishmael/Abdi. In a brutal stand, Ishmael repels the attackers and escapes to fight another day.

With a burning resolve to rescue Ailin, Ishmael heads into a broader war against the syndicate. Along the road, he encounters Besi near a well, and the two men share a painful connection: Besi and Rika trained alongside Ishmael and the others, a dark history that begins when Lee starves children in the well, freeing the one who kills the others to claim food. Ishmael tries to sway Besi away from Lee’s path, but loyalty runs deep. The two clash, and Ishmael gains the upper hand, delivering a crushing blow that ends Besi’s life. When Rika discovers the corpse on the beach, she moves to attack Ishmael.

The battle with Rika is brutal and personal. Despite taking multiple wounds, Ishmael endures, and it’s revealed that it was Rika who shot him and caused his amnesia in the first place. In the chaos, Rika aims to finish him, but hesitates and fires away from him instead. Seizing the moment, Ishmael unintentionally mortally wounds Rika with a reflexive knife throw. Grasping for mercy in her dying moments, he consoles her before turning toward the search for Lee.

Ishmael locates Lee’s hideout, and there he finally reunites with Ailin. She is initially hostile, held back by the memory of being kidnapped, but Ishmael manages to convince her and they share a quiet, mutual embrace amid the turmoil.

Yet the confrontation with Lee is not over. The enraged boss confronts them with ferocious power, exploiting his physical dominance. The two engage in a brutal duel that spills into the open, leaving Ishmael bloodied but determined. In the final power move, Ishmael pins Lee to the ground and impales him on a sharp tree trunk. Desperate, Lee makes one last attempt to kill Ishmael, aiming to finish him on the same weapon, but Ailin intervenes and saves Ishmael at the last moment. The tyrant succumbs to his wounds, his thrill of dominance finally ended.

In the aftermath, Ailin recovers in the hospital while Ishmael remains severely wounded. When he wakes, he finds Ailin by his side, her smile signaling a fragile, hopeful rekindling between them. The island’s violence has left its mark, but the possibility of a renewed bond between them offers a glimmer of quiet redemption amid the storm.