The bonds between mother and son have always provided fascinating and rich cinematic material. More so in Tumpal Tampubolon’s debut feature Crocodile Tears, where such a family dynamic is explored within the confines of a crocodile park in West Java, Indonesia, complete with the ever present ‘menace’ of its reptilian residents. It is an altogether curious affair, both pitch black in comedic moments, tender in others, but venturing into the supernatural too, making for intriguing viewing.

Mama (Marissa Anita) and her adult son Johan (Yusuf Mahardika) seem to have all they need in their unusual world of caring for crocs in a remote setting barely visited by the public. They eat together, sleep together and care for each other and their animals daily. Except with the wider world at his finger tips on a phone, this is clearly not enough for Johan – as the opening scene demonstrates. He wants...