Levitating [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film], helmed by Indonesian director Wregas Bhanuteja (Photocopier, Andragogy), has had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, within the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Set in an Indonesian village, the film explores the themes of trance and enchantment through music, using a blend of real and invented traditional dances and rituals.

Bayu (Angga Yunanda), a young, talented spirit channeler, tries to win his way through the ranks of shamans in the beloved trance parties that take place in the village. Two strong female leads, Asri (played by star singer Anggun) and Laksmi (Maudy Ayunda) help him on this journey of self-discovery. Asri supports him in a professional capacity, while Laksmi represents a deeper, more personal connection. In fact, Bayu is dealing with his own family, since his father (Indra Birowo) is planning on selling his home to a land developer who wants to build a hotel and exploit the village’s sacred water. Affected by these thoughts, especially during the trance sessions, Bayu is not only worried about his father’s future, but also spends a lot of time reflecting on his past, which includes unresolved trauma related to his mum.

The script, which the director wrote with Defi Mahendra and Alicia Angelina, has a lot of interesting elements to it. But overall, the feeling is that the two hours could easily have been cut down to allow the film to have a more engaging pace, avoiding the risk of seeming too diluted. Nonetheless, Wregas Bhanuteja’s third film is a patchwork of different genres (perhaps too many?) that encompasses drama, horror, musical, comedy and coming of age. Thanks to this, the constant switch of tones lightens the film, and in the end, the movie is able to handle its length relatively well. Without a doubt, the feature will please audiences looking for something different and refreshing. In this sense, the overall result doesn’t disappoint, and the performances contribute to the believability of the characters.

Levitating may have one real problem, which could also represent its main asset, for some. It jumbles all of its different elements together in an undistinguished repetition of scenes that all start to feel very similar to each other too soon. Despite having a lot of very intriguing moments, from a visual standpoint, it may lose the audience’s attention (which it masterfully captures in the first half an hour) after a while. Moreover, the bizarre, colourful explosions and the artistic look of most of the scenes towards the end are extremely polished, but contrast with the relatively rough look of the rest of the film.

In this sense, Gunnar Nimpuno’s photography is slightly uneven: in the boldest scenes, it stands out as extremely powerful and striking, while in the majority of the outdoor sequences, it doesn't seem particularly flattering. The characters look overly flat owing to the extreme daylight; going for a darker look would have enhanced the dramatic aspect of the rituals and may have given the film a consistent look.

Levitating is a joint effort involving Indonesia, Singapore, France and Taiwan, produced by Rekata Studio, Momo Film and Les Contes Modernes. Its international sales are in the hands of Rekata Studio.