Saagar Kote
Netflix’s ‘The Elixir’ or ‘Abadi Nan Jaya’ is an Indonesian zombie horror film that chronicles a zombie outbreak in a quaint village in the countryside. The narrative follows the trials and tribulations of a family finding itself in danger. When Dimin, the head of the Wani Waras Herbal Company, takes a risk with a new herbal product called “Abadi Nan Jaya,” it leads to unexpected results, which start the zombie outbreak in the rural area. His second wife, Karina, and his daughter, Kenes, seem to be having emotional difficulties. Kenes’ husband, Rudi, and her son Raihan stay with her as the company hopes to improve its prospects.
Bambang, Dimin’s son, also deals with his problems as he sees his family members growing distant. With troubled relationships and risky business moves, the zombie outbreak forces the family to survive at any cost. As the narrative reaches its final phase, the main characters find themselves confronted with challenges they never anticipated, leaving them in a precarious situation where they must make difficult choices to survive. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Elixir Plot Synopsis
The narrative begins at a circumcision ceremony where a girl named Ningsih works as a server. An SUV speeds into the ceremony, and the driver appears to act like a zombie. The narrative shifts to a point five hours earlier, where the employees of Wani Waras, a medical factory, are handed samples of a new product and asked to parcel them to the boss and Mrs. Grace. One of the delivery guys brings a package to a large house for the boss. A woman named Kenes, her little son Raihan, and her husband Rudi are introduced. An elderly man named Dimin drinks the sample brought to him earlier, and it is revealed that he is actually a young woman, Karina’s husband. Kenes and her family visit the elderly man, who is her father and the owner of Wani Waras Herbal Company.
She seems to have a problem with Karina, since she is her dad’s second wife. Dimin notices that he is looking younger in the mirror after drinking the Wani Waras herbal sample. The owner claims his company is losing money and should accept an offer from Nusa Farma. He says the main factor in a new deal will be an elixir-like product, named “Abadi Nan Jaya,” guaranteeing youthfulness. Kenes reveals that she and Rudi are getting a divorce, and Karina is shown to be Kenes’s former best friend. The owner starts coughing blood and falls to the ground. The family members try to get him up, but the man is transformed into a zombie and starts killing. Bambang shoots his father when he attacks him, and the owner dies, after which Rudi asks company man Aris to get the police.
The zombie danger begins to spread. It is revealed that Aris is the one who transformed into a zombie and drove into the ceremony at the beginning of the narrative. Meanwhile, Karina, Rudi, Raihan, and house worker Mbok look to escape, separated from Kenes and Bambang. Mbok says they can escape the village chief’s house, but it turns out to be the ceremony house, and the zombies kill Mbok. Kenes and Bambang arrive to see everyone turned into zombies at the ceremony. Rudi, Karina, and Raihan take refuge inside the house. Rudi is attacked, but he defends himself. In a hurry, Bambang and Kenes crash their car due to an oncoming truck. The zombies on the road attack the people from the truck, and Kenes and Bambang head to the police station to see if they can survive.
At the ceremony house, Rudi begins to transform and attacks his son, but Karina hits his head with a bottle to defend the boy. The siblings Kenes and Bambang go to the police station for help. Karina tells Raihan to be brave, and then Ningsih enters the house, as she owns it. Ningsih calls her lover and police officer Rahman to inform him about the situation. Rahman is shocked by the sight of the zombies and calls the Sleman police for help. Karina calls Kenes and makes her talk to Raihan, and then informs her about Rudi’s fate. The zombies mount an attack on the station as the virus spreads rapidly. As the sun sets, Rahman and the siblings put on protective gear and arm themselves. The three humans are suddenly surrounded by zombies unexpectedly.
Just as Kenes, Bambang, and Rahman are about to be killed, thunder strikes the sky, causing the zombies to look upwards. It is revealed that the zombies can be distracted by thunder and rain. Ningsih, Karina, and Raihan leave on a motorcycle. Bambang and Rahman take refuge in the station, but Kenes is stuck outside. She then enters a truck to shield herself from the zombies. Kenes spots her son, Karina, and Ningsih, and joins them. As the zombies return, the three women and the child enter the truck again to shield themselves. Karina takes the wheel and drives through the wall of the police station building.
The Elixir Ending: Is Kenes Dead or Alive?
The story reaches a tense point once the zombies begin to attack the police station. Once Kenes, Karina, and Raihan exit the police station, they begin planning their escape from the dreaded place. As the zombies continue to attack, the two women and the child are all forced into a difficult situation, with seemingly no chance of victory. Due to the fireworks fired from inside the station, the zombies get temporarily distracted, which gives Kenes some time to think about the plan. As they run towards the other side of the road, away from the station, they reach a secluded place without any zombies, and they seem to get optimistic. However, a shocking revelation becomes a cause of concern. Kenes sees that her hand is bitten and goes into a state of shock.
Based on her experience in fighting the zombies and seeing how her dad and the others transformed, she realizes that she cannot stop herself from turning into a monster. Her maternal instinct takes over at this point, and she sadly realizes that she can no longer be with her son. This puts her in a difficult spot with only seconds left before she loses control over her body and soul. She hugs Raihan emotionally and says goodbye to him, even as he begs her to stay with him. The young boy, caught up in the horror, finally realizes that this is probably his last chance to connect with his mother. Kenes then reconciles with her former best friend, Karina, and hugs her, telling her to take care of her son.
This is a poignant moment as it is a callback to the moment when she told Karina over the call earlier to take care of Raihan in case she dies. She holds a firework and distracts the zombies as Karina and Raihan speed away on a motorcycle. Then, Kenes, in an open field, shoots herself in the head before the zombies attack. Thus, Kenes sacrifices her own life in the face of eventual death. She dies as a human being, a mother, and a friend, not turning into a monster.
Do Karina and Raihan Survive? How?
Karina and Raihan speed away on a motorcycle and manage to escape the zombie onslaught in the village. With their family members dead, they now find themselves only having each other for emotional support. The next morning, on a cloudy day, the two of them reach a highway in a different part of the region and ride on the empty road. However, a zombie sees them riding away, indicating that they are not truly out of danger. Though their story ends at this point, the narrative gives enough clues to determine if or not they will survive. The fact that they are out in the open on a motorcycle gives them the advantage of speed. They have the advantage of space and time, as well as being located away from the region where the initial outbreak of the zombie virus occurred. They can presumably take time to comfort themselves and even get supplies for their journey ahead.
Since Karina promised a dying Kenes that she would take care of Raihan, it can be presumed that she will do everything in her power to save the boy from any danger. Once the two of them regain their emotional stability, they can probably figure out ways to survive. They will most likely ride to secluded and isolated spots and continue to live. Since Karina already knows how to attack and neutralize the zombies, she will be able to put her knowledge to good use. Since a zombie spotted them on the highway, they will possibly be attacked sooner rather than later. However, Raihan and Karina will likely have sufficient help to mount a counterattack. One of the main elements that will help them survive is the fact that they can use the rain, speed, and thunder against the inflected. Thus, Karina and Raihan will most likely be able to survive if they stick together and stay optimistic and calm.
Are Ningsih and Rahman Dead? Is Bambang Dead?
One of the most heartbreaking moments comes earlier in the narrative, after the zombies attack the police station following the opening provided by the truck driven by Karina. The people from the truck unite with the two men at the station. However, Bambang is injured and cannot move due to a heavy object on his leg. The zombies attack the station as Bambang and Rahman start shooting at them. However, they find it difficult to contain the relentless attack. At this stage of the story, things take a shocking turn, leading to deadly consequences. A zombie bites Ningsih in the arm, and she helplessly tries to free herself from its hold. However, she is unable to do so before the bite leaves a proper mark on her body.
Looking at his lover in danger, Rahman runs to save her. He tries to do everything in his power to fight off the monsters, but he is overrun by the zombies, who bite him from all sides. Bambang, unable to move, offers to stay back at the station to help his sister, nephew, and Karina escape. Despite them begging and trying to help him out of his ordeal, he realizes that it is futile. He understands that he has to be the bigger person and tells them he doesn’t want to run away from his problems anymore. This is a poignant moment that leads to Bambang’s redemption. Having been ridiculed for being a loser and insulted by his dad, he is able to redeem himself in his final moments.
Rudi’s zombie attacks everyone, and Karina shoots it to neutralize it. The lovers Rahman and Ningsih meet their end as the boy finally proposes to his lover in their final moments. As the zombies attack them, he pulls out the ring and puts it on his lover’s finger. They are horrifically bitten by the zombies from all sides as they get engaged. Bambang tells the others to leave and hold a firework in his hand. He throws the firework at the truck leaking fuel, causing it to explode, with many zombies still inside. The explosion causes Bambang’s brave death, but also neutralizes many zombies at the same time.
Is Grace Affected by Abadi Nan Jaya? Does the Zombie Virus Spread?
In the mid-credits scene, a woman in a tall building’s apartment talks to her husband and says that Dimin, the owner of Wani Waras, hasn’t yet responded. The woman is revealed to be Mrs. Grace, the one who also received a parcel from Wani Waras earlier. It can be presumed that she is actually the owner of the rival company, Nusa Farma, which seeks to acquire Wani Waras through its superior resources. Earlier, Dimin had hoped that the Abadi Nan Jaya herbal product would take his business to new heights and also prevent it from being acquired. Thus, Grace receives the package as part of the ongoing deal negotiations, but she doesn’t get any response or answer from Dimin. It is also established that Grace mostly lives in Jakarta due to her wealth. Since she stays in the city, she will be in contact with many more people compared to her counterpart, Dimin, whose influence was mainly in the rural areas.
Grace’s husband tells her to get ready for her flight. It is revealed that Grace has already taken the Abadi Nan Jaya sample and starts to feel younger, indicating that she will soon turn into a zombie. This indicates a scary situation, as it can be presumed that Grace will board a flight while being infected with the virus. Thus, she will most likely infect all the passengers. If not the flight, she might get infected on the way to the airport, which will leave people on the streets of Jakarta vulnerable. As people will have no clue as to why the infected start to bite others, they will most likely panic, making the situation even more dangerous. This definitely points to the most likely scenario, which is that Jakarta, and eventually the rest of the country, will be infected by the zombie virus, pushing the country into an apocalypse.
Can the Zombie Virus Be Contained? How?
The containment or control of the zombie virus is one of the most important elements in the story. As the virus is likely to spread across the country and cause previously unseen levels of destruction, it would be up to the government and the military to somehow contain the spread. Since the story establishes that zombies react to loud sounds, look upwards during thunder strikes, and stop attacking humans during rainfall, it proves that they have inherent limitations. Since rain is a temporary safety measure, we can presume that Karina, who has knowledge about this, will tell someone from the military or the government about it. The government could then explore options such as artificial rain and other diversion tactics to address the challenges posed by the zombies.
People will presumably be shifted to safer areas by using loud sounds and artificial rain as a distraction. This will allow the government and the scientific community time to develop an antidote for the virus and distribute it to the population. Though civilian casualties will be quite heavy during the initial period of the zombie apocalypse, the later stages may bring some hope to the people. Thus, whether the zombie virus can be contained depends on the will of the people, the effective use of intelligence, and the strength provided by the government, with the assistance of the scientific community. Though the narrative doesn’t deal with the aftermath of Grace’s incident, it can be presumed that people will find a way to liberate themselves.
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