Set in Indonesia’s remote, rural south, Women from Rote Island dynamically contrasts the area’s breathtaking scenery with the harsh living conditions of its inhabitants—particularly its second-class citizens, the women. Jeremias Nyangoen’s unique and powerful debut feature is part ethnographic doc, part lurid sexual-violence drama, part stinging indictment of the patriarchal structures that make life a horror story for many young women (and their mothers). Intense and compelling, the film is imbued with authenticity and emotional rawness by its cast of mostly non-professional actors, giving voice at last to the under-represented. A meticulously crafted work, it interweaves the drama of daily lives with the villagers’ colorful traditions, before delivering an emphatic, inspiring closing message.