Marsha Timothy: Knockin' on the forbidden door

Iwan Seti ,  Contributor ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 11/30/2008 10:34 AM  |  People

Marsha Timothy says it feels like she is given the opportunity to experience a life other than her own every time she plays a film character.

"And that's what I feel with Pintu Terlarang (Forbidden Doors). Here, I play a wife who is strong and independent, but also feminine and very ladylike," says Marsha who was born in 1979.

"Things are different than my personal life."

Pintu Terlarang is directed by Joko Anwar, who has directed much-praised Janji Joni (Joni's Promises), Kala (Time) and several other movies.

In this film, Marsha plays alongside her boyfriend, young actor Fachri Albar.

While shooting the thriller, Marsha says, her acting skills improved and the character enriched her daily life.

"I encountered characters in the film that I never met before. It's amazing," Marsha says.

To transform herself into her role as Thalida, a wife of a famous sculpture, Marsha needed to get her ears pierced and she accessorized with earrings.

"When I was little, I never had my ears pierced and I never wore accessories, especially earrings. For this movie, I allowed them to pierce my ears not with one hole, but five holes at the one time. Can you imagine that?" she says, laughing.

Marsha started her career as a model for advertisements and a few video clips. She entered the film industry, starring in science-fiction film Madewa with actor and comedian Tora Sudiro.

Next, she took a role in a romantic comedy, Chocolate Strawberry, a film aimed at a teen audience that touched on homosexual issues. She shared the same camera with popular comedians Tukul Arwana, Tarzan and Tora (again) in Otomatis Romantis (Automatically Romantic).

"At the beginning, I thought a career in the movie industry would be the same as modeling for advertisements and the occasional fashion spread.

"But recently, starting with selecting and accepting proposals, learning the characters, shooting the film until the film is ready to be launched, these step have taught me many things," she says.

"You have the taste of excitement while exploring every door. That kind of feeling makes me miss it every time there is a long break."

She says she experienced the same excitement while shooting Pintu Terlarang. In the film, besides playing a character that is entirely different to herself, Marsha says the whole experience gave a new meaning to her relationship with Fachri.

"I thought it would give us more time to see and spend time with each other by practicing and acting together. But later on, in the middle of the production process, we agreed to set limitations.

"We tried to draw a strict line between work and our private life. I mean, we decided not to talk about work while enjoying our private time together. We were afraid the intensity would affect our personal life even after the production ended," Marsha says.

Marsha and Fachri are supported by Tio Pakusadewo, Henidar Amroe and Arswendi Nasution in Pintu Terlarang. The film is set to be released in early January 2009.

Marsha says she hopes Indonesian movie buffs will enjoy the film, which offers something different to other movies that are generally comedies or horror films.

"But don't get me wrong, I am also happy to see more and more Indonesian films screened at local theaters these days. But if one can see the quality and theme chosen for these films, it makes me worry.

"I'm afraid that the audience will get tired and won't go to the theater anymore. This will eventually weaken the condition of the film industry.

"A good movie," Marsha says, "is the one that can deliver a message and touch the hearts of people."

She says No Country For Old Men, a masterpiece by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, starring Tommy Lee Jones, is one of the best movies she has ever seen.

"I mean it still the best film I've ever watched until now. It affected my life and how I see my life. The plot, the characters and the atmosphere managed to create a film that touched everyone's hearts. This movie chilled us to the bone."

In their latest roles in Pintu Terlarang, Marsha and Fachri had to shoot several "intimate" scenes, with the publicity poster splashing an intimate pose of the two.

Was she worried about censorship?

"A scene with two people kissing or with nudity is not porn on a film set. Intimate scenes can speak many things. It can shed light on strained relationships between husbands and wives or between lovers, for instance.

"Isn't it better to see people kissing and hugging one another rather than killing each other just because you can agree on one stupid term.

"After all, you can not just determine one's perception, interpretation and whether they aroused or not and control it with a law.

"For example, the poster of 9 Dragons (9 Naga). People protested the design if its poster of a man baring his muscular chest.

"Was it arousing? As a woman, I can say that it didn't affect me at all. I mean it was just a poster of a bare-chested man with a flat belly. There was no need to make a fuss out of it.

"There are more important things that demand our attention than movie posters, isn't there?"

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