We so badly want the film Jamila dan Sang Presiden (Jamila and the President) and its main character Jamila to fail.

Jamila is a prostitute serving a life sentence behind bars. She surrenders herself to the authorities after admitting she killed a high-ranking minister, and refuses to be represented by any lawyer or request a plea to ease her sentence.

Worse, her sentence is elevated to death after some demonstrators succeed in influencing a court to give her such a punishment. Jamila's character is tough, unlikable as well as stubborn and can easily irk anyone.

And so is the film.

It is easy to hate the film on the surface. We might be suspicious the movie wants to become an important film that conveys a life-altering message.

The kind of film, which for the sake of delivering such a message, does not want to relent with some technical elements to support the message, or even cross over to another subject, insisting on presenting the message as uncompromisingly as possible.

And how misguided are our preconceptions.

The film opens with a truck driving on an empty road at night, carrying, or more likely hiding a bunch of children behind, an immediate signal this is a film with substance. Later on we learn Jamila (Eva Celia in her most subdued performance) is also a victim of child trafficking who managed to escape.

In the tradition of movies with a women-who-suffer-continuously theme, often found in Indonesian films (local film aficionado are likely to be reminded of Ponirah Terpidana - The Convicted Ponirah back in 1980s), Jamila continues to encounter a series of unfortunate events until she surrenders to her fate and becomes a prostitute.

Jamila (Atiqah Hasiholan, left) is a prisoner counting her remaining days under the surveillance of Ria (Christine Hakim, right), in a scene from Jamila dan Sang Presiden (Jamila and the President). (Courtesy of MVP Pictures)

Taking a dramatic turn that will surely leave audiences feel empathy, Jamila as an adult (now played by Atiqah Hasiholan, who never leaves her theatrical persona) has no choice but to commit a crime to end her life-long suffering.

Her action is never understood by people she meets and she ends up spending her last days with her friends (out-of-place Marcellino Lefrandt and under-utilized Dwi Sasono), and notably the head of prison guard, Ria (acting legend Christine Hakim in her most noteworthy performance in recent years).

As we continue to discover the truth about Jamila and her motives, we cannot help but empathize with Jamila and her circle of people. It is quite a journey, mind you, for the lack of light-hearted moments and humor are all intended.

Still, in the end, it is the story that matters most. Ratna Sarumpaet, penning the script from her own stage play and making her directorial debut, is selfless enough to allow emotions to run through the veins of the characters she created.

Jamila and Ria become human beings that we can relate to, and they move the story forward as we as audiences hang on faithfully and dearly to their presence. To put it simply, it is a considerable achievement for a first time director.

A greater result could have been achieved had Ratna made less use of narration and left more matters to the imagination.

Ratna is fortunate enough to be surrounded by a credible cast list, including many who have acted in the stage play before. They can be seen in the film playing minor supporting roles, and their performances are unlike anything we have seen in contemporary Indonesian films: authentic, natural and believable.

Essentially, Christine Hakim belongs to this group. After brief performances with less impact in last year's In the Name of Love and a cameo appearance in 2007's Anak-anak Borobudur (Children of Borobudur), here she commands quite literally her screen time, often in silence.

When she delivers her lines, she adds a genuine feel to her words, despite the script being written for a stage performance. When she moves, a tinge of hidden yet sexual ambiguity she buries down deep behind her toughness actually sparks and brightens up her persona. Only a master can pull off such a performance, and she is definitely one.

If Christine easily steals the film, there are times when one wishes Atiqah Hasiholan toned down her theatrical gestures and voice when playing the role of Jamila. Although she clearly inhabits the role she also played in the stage version, can she not leave her theatrical manners in the stage play where they belong? While she gives a few noteworthy performances, some of her other scenes only leave us wanting more acting finesse.

Thus, it is interesting to see her in conflict with Christine's character, a scene which leaves us with the impression Christine is giving her an acting lesson, although this slips away in further scenes as the two are clearly making effort to act together.

With such rare qualities, Jamila is easily one of the most noteworthy Indonesian films in recent years.

Jamila dan Sang Presiden is currently playing in cinemas. Selected screenings in Plaza Senayan XXI and Pondok Indah XXI cinemas are subtitled in English

Popular

Great Barrier Reef hit by record bleaching

Govt to undo latest curbs on personal imports

Middle East on edge as Israel and Iran trade threats