Herbal Cure or Horror? Netflix’s The Elixir Turns Family Drama into a Deadly Zombie Outbreak

Netflix has added an Indonesian horror film called The Elixir to its catalog. The movie mixes preexisting family drama with a contagious outbreak linked to a local herbal remedy business, and it is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Opening sequence and structure
Characters and relationships
Cause of the outbreak
Visuals and effects
Themes and ending
Where to watch

Opening sequence and structure

The film opens with a family gathering that is interrupted by a van crash and an attack by an infected person. Shortly after that scene, the narrative cuts back in time to show the family before the incident. As a result, the movie spends time establishing characters and relationships before the outbreak scenes begin.

Characters and relationships

The main family includes Nes (a wife and mother), her husband Rudi, her brother Bang, her son Raihan, and their father, who runs a popular herbal remedy business called Wani Waras. Karina is a former close friend of Nes who is now married to Nes’ father, which the film presents as a source of ongoing tension.

Scenes before the outbreak present personal conflicts: for example, Nes and Karina are estranged, Bang is portrayed as socially awkward, and Rudi is shown as having an extramarital relationship. These elements are shown prior to the health emergency and then continue to affect how the family responds during the outbreak.

Family dynamics during the outbreak

After the family separates, they use phone calls to try to regroup at a rendezvous point. The film includes a scene where Bang does not know the route to that location and Nes expresses long-held frustration with him. Those interpersonal tensions are portrayed as continuing into the crisis rather than being resolved instantly.

Cause of the outbreak

The film links the contagious condition to a new batch of the family business’s herbal remedy. Specifically, a recently developed sample from Wani Waras is presented as the source of the affliction. The movie provides some on-screen explanation of how the product is connected to the outbreak, though it does not fully detail every step of the progression from remedy to contagious agent.

Visuals and effects

On screen, the infected are portrayed with rapid movement and distinctive facial presentations, including wide smiles. The production uses a combination of practical effects and CGI for the infected characters. Some viewers may react strongly to close-up textures and visual patterns used in makeup and effects.

Themes and ending

The film keeps its focus on family conflict even after the outbreak begins. It shows characters making survival decisions while still dealing with personal grievances. The ending follows genre conventions and does not present an extensive new philosophical message beyond the plot’s events.