Womb 2025

Wulan’s nightmare finally comes to a head when she discovers that Eva and Agus are not simply caretakers but the keepers of a deadly Javanese rite called Wekesan Wednesday. The couple have long sacrificed a pregnant woman and her newborn—both born on an unlucky Wednesday—to save their son, Bergas, who himself was cursed to die shortly after his tenth birthday unless the ritual is performed every ten years.

When Bergas returns from Singapore, he stumbles upon the couple’s hidden storeroom, uncovers old photographs of previous victims, and reads the ancient text that describes the sacrifice. Realising his parents intend to use Wulan and her unborn child, he decides to help her escape.

Wulan tries to flee on her own, but the couple’s henchman Ageng and a poisoned delivery trap sever her last tie to the outside world. Bergas finds her in the dark, and together they break into the storeroom, steal a bottle, and use it to cut their bonds. As Eva attempts to hypnotise Bergas again, he shatters the spell, threatens to kill himself and forces his parents to back down. He kills Ageng, wrestles the car keys, and drives the three of them away, deliberately crashing through the house’s front door.

The getaway is brief. After a short stop at a roadside tea shop, Bergas steps outside to pay the bill. In that moment the curse that has haunted his life catches up with him: a truck barreling down the highway strikes him dead, fulfilling the legend that he cannot survive without the ritual’s dark bargain. Wulan and her newborn survive the ordeal, freed from the couple’s clutches, while the cycle of sacrifice is finally broken—though at the tragic cost of Bergas’s life.

In the rolling hills of Aotearoa, a young Māori girl lives under the roof of a conservative English couple, whose home feels both shelter and a reminder of worlds that do not quite overlap. Her days are marked by the rhythm of weekly visits from her mother, an arrangement that carries the weight of love, longing, and the subtle strain of cultural distance. The quiet moments between them are filled with shared stories, songs, and the fragile comfort of belonging, even as the girl navigates the expectations of the household that raised her.

The couple—steeped in their own traditions and rigid values—provide stability but also an unspoken pressure to conform. Their austere manners clash gently with the vibrant spirit that the girl inherits from her heritage, creating a tender tension that threads through everyday life. As she grows, the pull between two identities becomes more pronounced, and the simple act of visiting her mother evolves into a bittersweet ritual that holds the promise of connection and the undercurrent of uncertainty.

Outside the domestic sphere, a looming legal battle threatens to upend the fragile balance she has come to know. The custody dispute, rooted in prejudice and a clash of cultural assumptions, brings the hidden fault lines of society into sharp relief. It forces everyone involved to confront questions about belonging, responsibility, and the true meaning of family beyond bloodlines and legal titles.

Against this backdrop of quiet beauty and looming conflict, the story unfolds as a meditation on identity, love, and the resilience required to bridge worlds that have long stood apart. The mood is introspective, tinged with both hope and the ache of possible separation, inviting the audience to linger on the delicate dance between heritage and the present.