by Cláudio Alves
Indonesia's troubled history serves as backdrop for director Kamila Andini's latest feature. Adapted by Ahda Imran from her novel, Before Now & Then sets its scene during the 1960s ascendancy of General Suharto, but the bloody strife is only perceived through gossip and radio, murmurs at the margins of privileged domesticity. Other older horrors live on within the intimacy of memory, influencing the lives of those without the power to change more than their fate. In some ways, the film is an example of classic melodrama in period costume. That said, its cultural specificities and an affinity between two women who should be at odds comprise a strong backbone that both supports and elevates the simple tale.
In 2022, this West Java-set narrative competed at the Berlin Film Festival, where Laura Basuki won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. Now, it arrives in American cinemas, in limited release…...
Indonesia's troubled history serves as backdrop for director Kamila Andini's latest feature. Adapted by Ahda Imran from her novel, Before Now & Then sets its scene during the 1960s ascendancy of General Suharto, but the bloody strife is only perceived through gossip and radio, murmurs at the margins of privileged domesticity. Other older horrors live on within the intimacy of memory, influencing the lives of those without the power to change more than their fate. In some ways, the film is an example of classic melodrama in period costume. That said, its cultural specificities and an affinity between two women who should be at odds comprise a strong backbone that both supports and elevates the simple tale.
In 2022, this West Java-set narrative competed at the Berlin Film Festival, where Laura Basuki won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. Now, it arrives in American cinemas, in limited release…...
- 8/27/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
It seems that with the toning down of censorship in Indonesia, filmmakers are now free(er) to deal with issues that could not be touched before, such as female desire, the harshness of the school system and the blight of social media, through realistic approaches. The recent “Like & Share” and “Photocopier” are two of the most renowned samples, with Lucky Kuswandi's latest work, “Dear David” also moving in the same direction.
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
Laras, despite being the second child of a poor family along with her brother and mother, is the student body president at an expensive private school, which she is able to attend due to a scholarship. Both the aforementioned facts (that she is poor and a straight A student) have not helped her in the school environment, with her frequently getting bullied, even more so since she is the principal,...
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
Laras, despite being the second child of a poor family along with her brother and mother, is the student body president at an expensive private school, which she is able to attend due to a scholarship. Both the aforementioned facts (that she is poor and a straight A student) have not helped her in the school environment, with her frequently getting bullied, even more so since she is the principal,...
- 5/24/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In “The Myriad of Faces of the Future Challenges” Indonesian cinema is revisited by the Milisfilem Collective’s Yuki Aditya and I Gde Mika in search for the political commentary on the country. The filmmakers have tightly scrutinised the contents of films made in Indonesia during general Suharto’s New Order regime. The outcome of that investigation is a hectic 90-minutes long film essay which interrogates the contemporary history of the country. Clips from various productions are then repurposed in a fragmentary fashion and commented upon by the filmmakers in the voice-over, thus creating the eponymous myriad.
The Abandoned is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
Another recent Indonesian film, “Tropic Fever”, also used archive footage. In the case of “Tropic Fever”, the point was to reclaim the country’s colonial history through the footage originally shot by the Dutch rulers. Although the directors set out with a subversive idea in their mind,...
The Abandoned is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
Another recent Indonesian film, “Tropic Fever”, also used archive footage. In the case of “Tropic Fever”, the point was to reclaim the country’s colonial history through the footage originally shot by the Dutch rulers. Although the directors set out with a subversive idea in their mind,...
- 2/7/2023
- by Olek Młyński
- AsianMoviePulse
Indonesian director Edwin is not an unfamiliar name in the festival circuit. His debut feature, “Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly” (2008), won several international awards. His second full-length movie “Postcards from the Zoo” (2021) marked the return of Indonesian cinema to the main competition after almost five decades of absence. His latest venture “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash”, which grabbed Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno, however, differs significantly from his previous works. So far Edwin has romanced with art house dramas. “Vengeance…”, an adaptation of Booker-nominated novel by Eka Kurniawan’s (script’s co-author), as its batty title might suggest, swings to more commercial territories.
Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash is Available now on Arrow and out on Blu-ray 19th Sept
Having set his story in the late 80s, Edwin re-visits the popular cinema of the era. He nods not only to Indonesian movies (with...
Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash is Available now on Arrow and out on Blu-ray 19th Sept
Having set his story in the late 80s, Edwin re-visits the popular cinema of the era. He nods not only to Indonesian movies (with...
- 8/27/2022
- by Joanna Kończak
- AsianMoviePulse
Indonesian director Edwin is not an unfamiliar name in the festival circuit. His debut feature, “Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly” (2008), won several international awards. His second full-length movie “Postcards from the Zoo” (2021) marked the return of Indonesian cinema to the main competition after almost five decades of absence. His latest venture “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash”, which grabbed Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno, however, differs significantly from his previous works. So far Edwin has romanced with art house dramas. “Vengeance…”, an adaptation of Booker-nominated novel by Eka Kurniawan’s (script’s co-author), as its batty title might suggest, swings to more commercial territories.
“Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash” is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
Having set his story in the late 80s, Edwin re-visits the popular cinema of the era. He nods not only to Indonesian movies (with a special place...
“Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash” is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
Having set his story in the late 80s, Edwin re-visits the popular cinema of the era. He nods not only to Indonesian movies (with a special place...
- 11/23/2021
- by Joanna Kończak
- AsianMoviePulse
Only guys who can’t get hard fight with no fear of death. […] He’d seen it, nestling like a newly hatched baby bird – curled into itself, looking hungry and cold. Sometimes in the morning when its owner had just awoken, it seemed longer, full of urine, but it couldn’t stand up. It couldn’t get hard.
These are the words that introduce the story of Ajo Kawir, the protagonist of the Indonesian bestseller book written by Eka Kurniawan, “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash”. With limp dicks marking the metaphor of flaccidity of toxic masculinity, Kurniawan encapsulated Indonesian machismo culture. He finds poetry in the mugs marred by the worn-out fists, but the bruises are always next to the shivering of a dusty heart. Romantic or not, “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash” enthrals the reader with the intensity of shades: a love story filled as...
These are the words that introduce the story of Ajo Kawir, the protagonist of the Indonesian bestseller book written by Eka Kurniawan, “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash”. With limp dicks marking the metaphor of flaccidity of toxic masculinity, Kurniawan encapsulated Indonesian machismo culture. He finds poetry in the mugs marred by the worn-out fists, but the bruises are always next to the shivering of a dusty heart. Romantic or not, “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash” enthrals the reader with the intensity of shades: a love story filled as...
- 9/3/2021
- by Lukasz Mankowski
- AsianMoviePulse
Above: Edwin. Photo ©Erieknjuragan.Opening on two motorcyclists playing a reckless game of chicken for petty cash in an unfashionable outskirt of Bandung in 1989, Indonesian writer-director Edwin’s sixth feature, the Golden Leopard-winning Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash, is intent on challenging any and all expectations its punchy title might evoke from the very start. As the winner of the contest, rat-tailed protagonist Ajo Kawir (Marthino Lio), sets off on a victory lap, he passes a painted advertising board, which promptly comes alive and offers the audience a glimpse beneath the veneer of Ajo’s masculine swagger: “Only a man who can’t get it up can face death without fear.” Our hero, for all his readiness to take on multiple people in any kind of fight, is impotent. But this perceived sexual inadequacy is not the fatal flaw that will come to haunt Ajo on his hero’s journey.
- 8/22/2021
- MUBI
Indonesian film director Edwin, a festival darling whose films have been the trump card for Berlinale and Rotterdam, returns to the circuit with a new gem. “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash,” which just had its world premiere in Locarno’s International Competition, is a genre-bending portrayal of an angry impotent young man stuck in the middle of the macho Indonesian Eighties.
As happened with many productions last year, the pandemic affected the film, which had to stop the shooting due to the lockdown. Lee Chatametikool, the film’s editor and an Apichatpong Weerasethakul regular, did all the editing online. “We had fun, even if the situation wasn’t generous in any way,” Edwin says.
Ajo Kawir (Marthino Lio) and Iteung (Ladya Cheryl), the lovebirds, are doing all sorts of odd jobs to survive their precarious existence. And on the way, a lot of combat happens. When fighting is not business,...
As happened with many productions last year, the pandemic affected the film, which had to stop the shooting due to the lockdown. Lee Chatametikool, the film’s editor and an Apichatpong Weerasethakul regular, did all the editing online. “We had fun, even if the situation wasn’t generous in any way,” Edwin says.
Ajo Kawir (Marthino Lio) and Iteung (Ladya Cheryl), the lovebirds, are doing all sorts of odd jobs to survive their precarious existence. And on the way, a lot of combat happens. When fighting is not business,...
- 8/11/2021
- by Diego Cepeda and Calin Boto
- Variety Film + TV
Festival regular Edwin delivers a withering critique of masculinity with the enjoyably gritty if over-obvious “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash.” Usually when films deal with impotence, they tend to be coy or jokey, but there’s no beating around the bush here: Erectile dysfunction is the theme, with all the implications of disempowerment and emasculation the issue implies.
As metaphor, impotence is used to make a broader critique of a toxic culture that puts so much emphasis on virility, but that just gives the filmmaker license to make garish use of plot-heavy twists and turns boasting plenty of decently choreographed fight sequences that must have immediately appealed to Fatih Akin, whose Bombero Int’l came onboard as co-producer. Given the level of stylized violence together with playful genre elements as well as a topic sure to get a rise out of viewers, it’s not hard to imagine festival audiences having fun.
As metaphor, impotence is used to make a broader critique of a toxic culture that puts so much emphasis on virility, but that just gives the filmmaker license to make garish use of plot-heavy twists and turns boasting plenty of decently choreographed fight sequences that must have immediately appealed to Fatih Akin, whose Bombero Int’l came onboard as co-producer. Given the level of stylized violence together with playful genre elements as well as a topic sure to get a rise out of viewers, it’s not hard to imagine festival audiences having fun.
- 8/10/2021
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
“Krisis!” marks Adam Taufiq Suharto’s entry into the Kuman Pictures Short Film Challenge, which provides a platform for independent creators to showcase their work (you can watch the full film in the link below). Suharto has established himself as a director of diverse talent, able to tackle various genres while brining his own unique vision to each – notably in both cinematography and sound design. His most recent short “Krisis!” is no exception, seeing the creator utilize atmosphere to imbue a deeper narrative.
A young man feeling the societal pressures to obtain work during turbulent times becomes haunted by a shadow figure. As the man begins to sink into a state of fear and paranoia, he must decide whether to fulfill his obligations or succumb to the darkness within.
Feeling in tune with the newest phobia of having to work in a post Covid world, the weight of putting oneself...
A young man feeling the societal pressures to obtain work during turbulent times becomes haunted by a shadow figure. As the man begins to sink into a state of fear and paranoia, he must decide whether to fulfill his obligations or succumb to the darkness within.
Feeling in tune with the newest phobia of having to work in a post Covid world, the weight of putting oneself...
- 6/22/2021
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The story of a politician haunted by his old pledge to his party, is forced into confinement through his actions and starts to face personal and public scrutiny. Shot without a script and in a single location, Adam Taufiq Suharto captures a young politician’s spiral into madness, as the world outside his abode begins to crumble.
Shooting in a single location, and one that does not offer much space, can prove limiting for creators to fully realize their vision and message. However, “The Old Pledge” does showcase how limitations can sometimes work in favor of narrative, particularly in the form of visual storytelling. The short film really embraces the feeling of isolation, as its subject begins to become destructive, his withdrawal is reflected in the claustrophobic space he has forced himself into, in order to seek solace. Furthermore, the sound design paints the portrait of a chaotic outside world,...
Shooting in a single location, and one that does not offer much space, can prove limiting for creators to fully realize their vision and message. However, “The Old Pledge” does showcase how limitations can sometimes work in favor of narrative, particularly in the form of visual storytelling. The short film really embraces the feeling of isolation, as its subject begins to become destructive, his withdrawal is reflected in the claustrophobic space he has forced himself into, in order to seek solace. Furthermore, the sound design paints the portrait of a chaotic outside world,...
- 5/26/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
I became familiar with the work of Adam Taufiq Suharto through our ‘submit your film’ initiative, reviewing his work “Belas“, “Gelora“, “Balah Tuah“, and “Dekaden“, with another contributor covering his debut “Falasi“. These films act as an example of what makes the ‘submit your film’ process exciting for a critic, showcasing unique talent that has potential to become a defining voice in cinema. Suharto is one of the many directors through our initiative that has left that impression. The interest in his projects grew through experiencing his ability to convey deeply introspective narratives, utilizing the universally understood language of cinema, as well as a sharp visual style which can transition from serene to disquieting in a seamless fashion. With admiration for his work, I wanted to speak to Adam Taufiq Suharto to better understand his process and thoughts on film. Suharto was also shortlisted in our annual list of best...
- 3/15/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
This Indonesian-Belgian co-production is an intriguing hybrid. One could expect that a documentary about Indonesian punk will be a typical talking heads affair, explaining the origins and evolution of the punk movement in Indonesia. But the director, Jimmy Hendrickx, whose short docufiction “Semalu” portraying the children of Kuala Lumpur’s suburb won several awards, had a different, maybe a bit rebellious, idea for his debut feature.
“Lamunam Oi. A Punk Daydream” is screening at the 35. Warsaw Film Festival
Of course, we follow a colorful and vivid community of youths, with a special focus on the boy named Eka and his friends, sporting their Mohawks and other insane hairstyles, numerous tattoos and eccentric attires. They briefly narrate their stories, in which difficult family background is a recurring theme. Sometimes the voice is given to those more or less supportive family members, thus we learn what a strict Muslim father has to say about sinful tattoos.
“Lamunam Oi. A Punk Daydream” is screening at the 35. Warsaw Film Festival
Of course, we follow a colorful and vivid community of youths, with a special focus on the boy named Eka and his friends, sporting their Mohawks and other insane hairstyles, numerous tattoos and eccentric attires. They briefly narrate their stories, in which difficult family background is a recurring theme. Sometimes the voice is given to those more or less supportive family members, thus we learn what a strict Muslim father has to say about sinful tattoos.
- 10/14/2019
- by Joanna Kończak
- AsianMoviePulse
The man known as Tuah is living in a confused and depressed state as he finds his life being narrated by some unknown force. He begins to search for answers and a way to confront the voice that is constantly describing his life and troubles.
“Balah Tulah” presents, what feels like a traditional folk tale with a comedic twist. It is within this premise that the production sees the most success. The film becomes comedic from the first moment Tuah becomes aware of the narrator. The scene shows Tuah greeting the sun with a stretch, only to hear the mysterious voice, in turn the narrator stops showing some awareness of what he is doing to the man. Throughout the production, the comedic timing is spot on, leading to a great flow in the narrative.
The visual presentation is mixed, with the segments following Tuah shot in a square aspect ratio and black and white,...
“Balah Tulah” presents, what feels like a traditional folk tale with a comedic twist. It is within this premise that the production sees the most success. The film becomes comedic from the first moment Tuah becomes aware of the narrator. The scene shows Tuah greeting the sun with a stretch, only to hear the mysterious voice, in turn the narrator stops showing some awareness of what he is doing to the man. Throughout the production, the comedic timing is spot on, leading to a great flow in the narrative.
The visual presentation is mixed, with the segments following Tuah shot in a square aspect ratio and black and white,...
- 10/3/2019
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
When rioting breaks out in Jakarta in July 1996 and Wiji Thukul’s critical poems are chanted in the squares, the Suharto regime, which has been holding power in Indonesia for over 30 years, shutting down democracy time and time again, accuses the poet of being one of the ringleaders. Thukul is forced to flee his home in Solo, leaving his wife Sipon and their two children behind. He spends a total of eight months in the small village of Pontianak, 3000 kilometers away, living with strangers under assumed names, but always continuing to write. In the meantime, in Solo, his wife, Sipon, lives under constant surveillance. This film recounts the events of this period.
“Solo, Solitude” is available from Asian Shadows
In that fashion, we watch a very anxious and scared Wiji trying to survive with the help of fellow activists, who take him in their houses, and to change identities. Eventually,...
“Solo, Solitude” is available from Asian Shadows
In that fashion, we watch a very anxious and scared Wiji trying to survive with the help of fellow activists, who take him in their houses, and to change identities. Eventually,...
- 8/10/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Lamunan Oi! A Punk Daydream” is a scattershot documentary that delves into the Indonesian Punk Scene. The high octane Indonesian punk scene is also inspired by indigenous Dayak tattooing and spirituality, blended with their own form of liberty loving Islamic spirituality. It is a strange brew of possibilities, with the punks bejewelled with tattoos as a badge of honour, with dreams of equality. Unfortunately for the punks, Indonesia is in a twilight zone of post-autocratic autocracy, where tattoos are forcibly tabooed. Any talk of liberty and equality, in a post-autocratic autocracy, is also going to cause some problems. The dark days of the dictatorship are at an end, even though democracy is functioning in some kind of fashion, much of the old guard are entrenched and still in cahoots with Western corporate interests.
“A Punk Daydream” is screening at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2019
Indonesia is land of contrast from unspoiled jungles,...
“A Punk Daydream” is screening at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2019
Indonesia is land of contrast from unspoiled jungles,...
- 1/29/2019
- by Jonathan Wilson
- AsianMoviePulse
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