Alexandra Gottardo plays as Tatiana in Ari Sihasale’s Tanah Air Beta. Photo Courtesy of Alenia Pictures

Movie director Ari Sihasale, known as Ale, and his wife actress, Nia Zulkarnaen, are back again with their latest work Tanah Air Beta (My Motherland), portraying the struggle of a family to survive the riots following the 1999 referendum in East Timor.   

Since the success of their previous films Denias, Senandung di Atas Awan (Denias, Hum Above the Clouds) and Liburan Seru (Adventurous Holiday), the couple say they will continue making children and family-themed films.

Once, they said that they would put elements of Indonesia’s plurality into their films with the hope to promote a sense of nationalism among Indonesians.  

Ale and Nia kept their words, showing their seriousness by releasing a sport-themed movie, King in 2009. Their latest production Tanah Air Beta hit local cinemas this week. It is the second movie Ale  directed after King. Both King and Tanah Air Beta were produced under their own production house Alenia Pictures.

While the couple have previously captured the view of Papua and Central Java in Denias, Liburan Seru and King, now they have opted for filming in East Nusa Tenggara for their latest flick.

Inspired by the true events after the referendum in East Timor in 1999, Tanah Air Beta is about the struggle of displaced person in the conflict.

East Timorese political refugees who fled East Timor following the referendum, which led to the separation of East Timor from Indonesia, were scattered throughout a number of surrounding islands such as Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara.

The scenes in the film were shot in some areas in East Nusa Tenggara such as Atambua, Ponu, Atapupu, and Soe.

The film centers around the struggle of a woman called Tatiana (played by Alexandra Gottardo) and her children who were expelled from East Timor to the country’s border area with Indonesia. Tatiana tried to survive under poverty and an uncertain political situation in a refugee camp in East Nusa Tenggara with her daughter Merry (Griffit Patricia).

Tatiana, a widow who works voluntarily as a teacher, lives separately from her son Mauro (Marcel Raymond), who she believed is still alive and lives in East Timor.

With the help of  her friend Abu Bakar (Asrul Dahlan), she tried to find information about her Mauro. One day, she has to swallow bitter pills when she finds out (from a volunteer in the region) that Mauro does not want to meet Tatiana because he thinks that his mother has neglected him. Mauro only wants to see his sister, Merry.

Merry, who accidentally knows about Mauro’s ordeal, decides to go on her own to the border area to meet Mauro.  

In the beginning, the plot is a little bit slow and the story might be a bit heavy for kids as they may not be familiar with the political conflict that led to the separation of East Timor from Indonesia.
In the first half  of the film, Ale tries

to portray the daily life of refugees: how they live under a very modest shelters, how it is hard for them to get gasoline, how they suffer from diseases such as diarrhea and malaria and how the students have to study in the one-and-only small “classroom” without text books and uniforms.   

The second half is the most captivating, capturing Merry’s adventure in the border area with her friend Carlo (Yehuda Rumbindi).  

The spirit, simplicity, as well as the friendship between the two kids have brought laughter and joy.
Ale puts a sense of nationalism by bringing in a number of traditional songs and national song Indonesia Pusaka (Indonesia, the Heritage), which is beautifully sung by former Indonesian Idol winner Mike Mohede. The title of the movie itself is taken from the lyrics of national song Indonesia Pusaka.

Meanwhile, the multi ethnic characters reflects the pluralism of Indonesia. Abu Bakar, for instance, is an Arab descent, while Koh Ipin (Robby Tumewu) and his wife Ci Irene (Thessa Kaunang), who run a store in the area, represent Indonesian-Chinese people.

The biggest challenge for most of the casts is that they have to speak Bahasa Indonesia in local accent but none was of East Timor or East Nusa Tenggara origin.

Did the actors succeed? For people who are not familiar with the language, they have may not notice this, but native of the region knows that the accent is fake.

The film might not also properly represent the terrifying condition in the area after the referendum.
Ale said that he wanted to focus more on the friendship and family issues instead of the heavy political issues.  

“The unity of a family is important. We need to keep in touch and stick together regardless of different minds or perspectives,” said the Papua-born director, who was famous for his role in the soap opera, Ali Topan Anak Jalanan (Ali Topan the Street Kid).

Ale hoped that this movie would heighten the sense of nationalism among Indonesians. “Many of us might have forgotten our national songs. I hope that this movie will be a reminder for all of us.”
    
Verdict : The film may not display detailed political substance after the referendum, but it teaches us about the importance of family ties and friendship.

— Photo Courtesy of Alenia Pictures

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