Tombiruo: Penunggu Rimba

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Tombiruo: Penunggu Rimba is a 2017 Malaysian action-adventure film directed by Seth Larney, based on Ramlee Awang Murshid’s novel. It tells the story of Ejim, a scarred guardian of the forest known as the Tombiruo, who was hidden as a baby by a priestess to protect him from the outside world. A hermit living in the jungle raises him with love and teaches him to use his powers for protection.

Two decades later, a company called Anak Bumi plans to build a dam in the jungle. Berham and Juslan, brothers who run the project, face growing resistance from the tribes and the land itself. A village is attacked, Berham’s family dies, and Salina—Ejim’s friend—also dies. Her husband, Amiruddin, a forest ranger, blames the Tombiruo for the tragedy. The truth is deeper: Ejim and Amiruddin are twin brothers, separated at birth, with Ejim growing up in the jungle and Amiruddin in the city.

A reporter named Wan Suraya arrives in Sabah to uncover the connection between the attack, the dam, and the Tombiruo. She learns from villagers about the mystical guardian and eventually meets Ejim, who saves her after she sees him in action. Suraya discovers that Juslan and a security chief named Wong are plotting to seize control of Anak Bumi.

As the conspiracy unfolds, Ejim and Amiruddin uncover their shared past and fight to stop the greed of Juslan and Wong. In the jungle showdown, Juslan falls to his death and Wong dies in a fire; Ejim uses his powers, guided by love, to heal the forest and himself. He chooses to stay in the jungle to protect it, while Amiruddin returns to the city. Baizura, Berham’s daughter, takes over Anak Bumi and vows to honor her father’s legacy. Suraya promises to keep the Tombiruo story a myth, and a mid-credits scene hints at more to come.

Details and reception: The film features Zul Ariffin, Nabila Huda, Farid Kamil and others, runs about 115 minutes, and is in Malay and Kadazandusun. It had a production budget around MYR 6 million and earned roughly MYR 8–10 million at the box office.