Genre: Drama / Thriller Director: (Information not widely documented) Runtime: Approx. 115 minutes Release Year: 2021 “Pondok Buruk 1: 21” is a Malaysian independent feature that follows the intersecting lives of several residents in a rundown boarding house (“pondok”) on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The title references the address—Block 21, Pondok Buruk—and the age of the central character, a 21‑year‑old university student named Amir who returns home after a year abroad. While trying to reconnect with his estranged family, Amir becomes embroiled in a series of mysterious disappearances that have plagued the neighbourhood for months. The film blends personal drama with a slow‑burn thriller, using the cramped, dimly lit interiors of the boarding house to heighten a sense of claustrophobia and social tension. Strengths | Aspect | What Works | Why It Stands Out | |--------|------------|-------------------| | Atmosphere & Production Design | The film makes excellent use of the boarding house’s narrow corridors, peeling wallpaper, and flickering neon lights. | These visual details create a gritty, almost tactile feeling of place that immerses the viewer in the characters’ everyday struggles. | | Character Ensemble | A diverse cast of secondary characters (the elderly caretaker, a street‑wise teen, a struggling single mother) each have distinct, believable backstories. | Their interactions feel authentic and give the film emotional depth beyond the central mystery. | | Social Commentary | Subtle references to rising rental costs, generational expectations, and the lure of urban migration. | The story grounds its thriller elements in real‑world concerns, making the stakes feel more than just plot devices. | | Sound Design | Ambient noises—creaking floorboards, distant traffic, muffled prayers—are layered carefully, while the score uses minimal, low‑frequency drones. | This soundscape reinforces the tension without relying on jump‑scares. | | Narrative Pacing | The first half establishes the world and characters methodically; the second half escalates the mystery in a measured way. | Viewers are given time to care about the people before the thriller elements kick in, resulting in a more satisfying payoff. | Weaknesses | Issue | Impact | |-------|--------| | Limited Budget Effects | Some exterior shots feel slightly grainy, and a few action sequences lack polish. | | Ambiguous Resolution | The climax leaves certain plot threads unresolved (e.g., the true identity of the “shadow figure”). While intentional, some viewers may find it unsatisfying. | | Language Subtitles | The English subtitles occasionally miss idiomatic Malay expressions, which can dilute nuance for non‑Malay speakers. | Overall Assessment “Pondok Buruk 1: 21” is a commendable effort from Malaysia’s indie scene, delivering a moody, character‑driven thriller that feels both locally grounded and universally resonant. Its strongest asset is the atmosphere—every frame feels lived‑in, and the sound design amplifies the sense of unease. Though the budget constraints are apparent and the ending leans toward open‑ended, the film succeeds in raising questions about community, belonging, and the hidden fears that lurk behind everyday doors.
Every EtcherPro can flash up to 16 drives at a time if you are flashing from an online source. If you are flashing from a physical drive, you would be flashing up to 15 drives at a time, as the first slot would serve as the source. In the daisy-chaining scenario, you would only require one slot to serve as a source to flash the entire stack, when flashing from a physical drive.
EtcherPro offers USB (type A), SD and microSD interfaces by default, so you can flash up to 16 different drives / devices simultaneously. For instance, you can flash a balenaFin, a USB drive, an SD card and a microSD at the same time, as long as there is only one target per slot, and the source being flashed is the same for all target types.
EtcherPro supports USB (type A), SD and microSD interfaces, and can also flash single-board computers that are capable of being flashed via USB, as long as they are supported by Etcher. You can flash compute modules through carrier boards, for instance, flashing a Raspberry Pi CM3 through a balenaFin.
EtcherPro runs our open-source data-flashing software, Etcher, which can flash any kind of data. If you want to make sure that Etcher is capable of flashing your drive / device, you can download the latest version of Etcher and test it on your system to ensure compatibility.
When writing 16 drives simultaneously, EtcherPro can write up to 52 MB/s per drive, while when writing just 1 drive, EtcherPro can reach up to 200MB/s, so long as the drive / device can support those flashing speeds.
Etcher has a feature known as ‘trimming’ which can potentially accelerate the flashing of certain images by avoiding writing unused parts of ext partitions. As a result, you effectively get a bonus on the flashing speed.
EtcherPro flashes all target drives simultaneously, as such, the speed is determined by the drive that writes slowest. If you flash 1 drive that writes slowly, and 15 fast ones, the slow drive will determine the overall write speed. To account for this, make sure that all the drives, including the source drive (if any), can write at least as fast as EtcherPro flashes (52MB/s for 16 drives). Oftentimes, the advertised speed for a drive is the reading speed, rather than the writing speed (which is much slower). If you are sure your setup is up to spec and you still have issues please contact us.
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