Hello world. Apparently this is my first post on this my new blog after such long hiatus on my previous blog. I want to give a review about last event that I attended on Wednesday Sept 28th and Thursday Sept 29th 2016. So, it was film screening from final project of the senior movie students on my campus. The screening itself taken place at CGV Blitz Cinema BEC Mall Bandung. It was kinda bizzare concept actually bringing indie short movies screening into the pop market place.
Eventhough mostly the audiences that watched the screening were not “people from pop market”, but introducing films as educational project output to public were fascinating, especially people–that going to cinema only to see latest commercial industry based film. The purpose of this indie screening going more public not only makes people think of what Indonesian movie students did on their final project but also makes people realize that there are actually many Indonesian movie creators that making a great film to watch, not only entertaining but have a deep meaning that makes us think.
The event was named “REMIGRASI” which means “Ruang Estetis Migrasi” in Bahasa, or in English literally means “The Aesthetical Space Migration”. It was the ‘migration’ of aesthetical films that usually only screened to ‘highly-art’ people into the public who only watch ‘less aesthetical’ that depends on rating. But, I would say, in the end, only ‘highly-art’ people that was attending and watching the screening. Despite those ironically fact of our lovely Indonesian people, the concept of the event was really good.
Before discussing about the movies, you may wondered, which part that makes industrial movies ‘less aesthetical’ than indie movies?
From my point of view, industrial-pop-market-movies especially here in Indonesia were so money oriented, yes you need freaking bucks to pay the crew, but the industry didn’t provide mutual message on movies that they have been produced.
Indie movies usually provide message that has meaning, deep meaning I would say, that actually makes us think about what has been delivered to us through the movies, and be more concern with our social real life after watching the movies.
My opinion might be nothing to any of you who read this and have been entered our movie industry scene, but you can have your opinion and comment or discuss it with me later through the mail or just comment here.
So, back again with the screening, there was two programs or I would say themes that was delivered to audiences. The first theme was Metaphor of Reality or Metafora Realitas in Bahasa, it was interpretation of how the movie creators captured the reality and transformed it into metaphorical form as the sublimation of reality itself.
There are four movies screened from this Methaphor of Reality theme. It was Jeni Lova, Suara yang Hilang, Sepasang Daun Rindu, and Adipati Blek. Jeni Lova is film with paradoxical concept stories by Roufy Nasution as Director and Insan Burhansyah as DOP. There was girl named Jeni and his fiancée Jek that was going to be married. Jeni captured as nowadays-artsy-girl with short hair and weird way of thinking. Jeni was playing along with Jek by on purpose running away from their pre-wedding event to Santolo Beach. And in the end, Jek was fooled by her because when Jek was actually going to Santolo Beach, Jeni was actually at Karang Papak-the other santolo beach. On their way to find each other, Jeni met Lilis that offered Jeni food on her seafood restaurant and Jeni told LIlis that she’s writing stories, meanwhile on other beach Jek met a guy that actually Lilis’s husband. The ending was expected for me though, the filmmaker leave the ending as whatever audiences thoughts on their minds. I mean, the filmmaker didn’t actually leading the audience to think that it was ‘reality’ or not because in the end Lilis holding a novel that written by Jeni. The message that was delivered simply about love as an irrational thing. It was delivered by few scenes when Jek just basically going anywhere and doing whatever it takes to find his love. Classic, but that might actually happens on our life. Jek desires to use his irrational thinking to find someone that he thinks have some rational part on his life. Okay, I’m writing too much and you guys might not get what I mean. So, if you love paradoxically stories and movie with vintage style, you guys should watch this movie on another screening.
Moving on, there is Suara yang Hilang or translated as The Lost Voice by Ayu MS Gultom as Director, Anggita Prameswara as DOP, Alil Kurniawan as Editor. I was kind of disappointed with the actors/actresses and the camera techniques because it didn’t really deliver the meaningful message of the film. Though, at the end the twist kinda not really expected. So, it was about college student that was going to participate in sound design competition, then he met this pretty girl from nowhere when he listened she played angklung near the student activities room. And he decided to ask her help if he can record the angklung activities for his competition. When he was performing on the competition, he then has this traumatically event on the stage. Later, it was told that he was winners of few angklung competitions but he has trauma because his family died, and he still have the illusion of his family supporting him when he was kid. See? It was interesting story, but the filmmaker missed out the actual message by not telling the audiences how the tragic story could be so traumatic for him and too much forcing the romance interaction with the girl.
Then, there is Sepasang Daun Rindu or A Pair of Missed Leaves by Ade Prianto. The film departs from the anxiety of religious muslim woman about life partner. She is confused of how she felt about one guy that she actually like but he is not good enough for her because he’s not worth the standard of her father based on religious thing. Meanwhile, there’s another man that going to marry her and he wins her father standard but she doesn’t like him. It’s about battle within herself whether she can be selfish for her love desire or she must obey the religion law by follows her father’s will.
Actually, I remembered the filmmaker has promoted this film project through social media through an official account, he searched for sponsors for this final project of film about Ta’aruf. I thought that the film would tell about any classic Indonesian religious movies about Ta’aruf, but I was kind of impressed that the filmmaker bringing about the ‘negativity’ of Ta’aruf from our culture.
Why would I say like that? Because Ta’aruf should be the Islamic way of men knowing his future wife, whether he is really religious or not. But, in most of Indonesian family that really obeyed Islamic law, sometimes they want to ‘play safe’ by choosing ‘religious men’ for their daughters. While, in fact you shouldn’t be like that if you are really religious. I get the point that they wanted for the best for their daughters, but judging someone else not enough due to our standard because of their pasts are really irritating, mind cancer I would say.
The fourth movie that was on screening was Adipati Blek by Adinda Maharani as Director. I can’t really tell you about the movie because I left the studio before the screening end. Not because I didn’t appreciate the last movie but I had some personal matters and I should go home early. Actually, I really want to watch this movie, maybe if this movie will be on other movie screening I would probably going.
On the second day, the films that was on screening came up with theme Lost as The Problems of Life or Hilang sebagai Permasalahan Hidup. The ‘lost’ concept was driven from the relation of human life with ‘lost’, that actually as human, we didn’t really know that our action were right or wrong before we had experience what is it like to be lost. There were three movies with lost theme, Jelaga Asa Belantara, Tresna, and Dewi Temaram.
Jelaga Asa Belantara by Ridho Ibadurrahman as Director. The story was about two men climbing mount Papandayan named Panji and Dzul. Dzul is that typical nature activist that respect our mother earth, meanwhile Panji is typical metropolitan boy who climb the mountain to raise up his social level for his soon-to-be- girlfriend. But later, both were lost in the forest because Panji insist to go with unfamiliar way to get to the mountain. Panji with his arrogance and impatient self, throwing any waste garbage to the forest, Dzul viewed what Panji did as disrespectful manner. Dzul has repeatedly told Panji to respect the nature, but Panji was too stubborn. Dzul finally can’t resist what Panji did and he lost his mind. The actors and the techniques of the camera were great I say, but the film was lacking on other message that being told besides bringing up the ‘lost’ whether it’s the arrogance of Panji that makes them lost or the losing minds of Dzul. This film actually has few satire meaning for any nowadays people who going to the nature forest or mountain just to look cool–like what pop-movie viewed–but they were too ignorant with the mother earth.
Next, Tresna by Jihad Yanuar as Director. The story is about two middle aged couple named Hamid and Damilah. This film brings up about schizophrenia. Hamid always had Damilah on daily basis to do anything with him, until finally when he ask her to make him a coffee, she just gone, never came back. He then confused and ask his relatives to help him find her. It was driven from the lost of Damilah to Hamid, but his mind can’t accept the reality, and having hallucination of the time when he was with Damilah. When watching this film, you might constantly relate to your own family, I like how the filmmaker makes this film more family kind of theme with few funny dialog but in other hand the actions was so emotional.
The last movie that screened was Dewi Temaram by Ridwan Firdaus as Director and Dzikri Ar-Ridlo as DOP. It was also about people with schizophrenia illness. Highschool girl student named Dewi, she has this imaginary self to run away from her reality. She has the family problem which is her parents always fighting in her house, she lost her parental advice and emotional attention on her age because of her parents. She searched for her role model which leads to her own male teacher. They finally leads to romance relationship, but later Dewi finds out that her teacher has already having wife and children. She can’t accept the reality, she imagine that her teacher was actually her husband. Until finally she has this illusion, not realizing what she did to her teacher. There’s no anything bizzare about the story or the actors/actresses, I like how at the end to make sure the audiences understand the reality that was happening, the filmmaker choose to use CCTV camera, it was interesting technique to make differences of Dewi point of view, her parents and something that actually happened.
Overall, all the movies that was on the screening worth to watch, it delivers you not only entertaining scenes but also meaningful things to think on our life.
syahzananhf 