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'€˜Romeo+Rinjani'€™: A lackluster lushly shot rom-com

As the second-highest volcano in the archipelago, Mount Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, with its exotic views, is a magnet for local and international climbers and tourists

Novia D. Rulistia (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, May 2, 2015

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'€˜Romeo+Rinjani'€™:  A lackluster lushly shot rom-com

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s the second-highest volcano in the archipelago, Mount Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, with its exotic views, is a magnet for local and international climbers and tourists.

Its beauty inspired filmmaker Fajar Bustomi to make his eighth film, Romeo+Rinjani.

Fajar, who loves mountaineering, said some parts of the movie were based on his own experience. However, the movie is not about adventure as it focuses on the love story of a playboy who has a life-changing experience on Rinjani.

The movie revolves around Romeo (Deva Mahenra), a freelance photographer who has many girlfriends, most of whom are his models, all of whom he drops when they start to talk about marriage. Poor Romeo, you see, was traumatized when his parents separated when he was seven.

The plot thickens when girlfriend Raline (21-year-old Kimberly Ryder, a frequent star of local made-for TV movies) tells our hero that she'€™s pregnant. Shocked, Romeo tries to stay calm, claiming he won'€™t marry her but will take care of the baby.

Romeo makes a quick exit to Rinjani, where he has a photo shoot, while Raline takes care of their wedding preparations.

On the way to Lombok, Romeo stops in Bali to check his gear and meets Sharon (portrayed by 20-year-old singer Alexa Key), who, coincidentally is staying at his hotel '€” and who, also coincidentally, shares his aversion to marriage.

Sharon tells Romeo that she'€™s been to Rinjani five times and becomes Romeo'€™s guide, taking the photographer to Segara Anak Lake before moving on to the summit.

At the lake, Romeo tries to seduce her by asking her to swim together. But Sharon plays him for a fool, taking his bags and clothes and disappearing.

A frustrated Romeo looks for her. When he sees his bag, he gets caught in a snare and ends up hanging upside down on a branch overnight before he is rescued by ... Raline.

Romeo believes Raline is the one, but on his wedding day, he sees Sharon and his bride to be talking like best friends.

People in the audience might expect a lot of scenes at Rinjani, which sadly only occupies about 30 percent of the film. The rest of the movie is melodramatic punctuated by a host of forgettable appearances by local stand-up comedians.

Romeo is tasked with taking photos of iconic sites on the volcano, but the film instead focuses on his love story '€” which was all part of director Fajar'€™s plan.

'€œI didn'€™t want to make an adventure movie about Rinjani or a documentary, because the film is about how Romeo learns more about his life during his time on the mountain,'€ Fajar said.

Nevertheless, Fajar'€™s dynamic camerawork still allows the audience to catch a glimpse of Rinjani'€™s charms. The production team that worked on the film on Rinjani in December during the rainy season should also be commended.

However, 25-year-old Deva, a television presenter and former Indonesian Idol finalist, doesn'€™t seem to connect with either of his leading ladies, although he does deliver a good performance as a shallow playboy.

While Deva and Alexa also apparently make it to the top of the volcano for some shots in the movie, it would feel more natural to see Alexa in mountaineering outfits rather than in tank tops and full makeup.

Romeo+Rinjani, released on April 23, is a standard sinetron (local soap opera) transferred to the silver screen with some nice landscape shots. People who like simple-to-follow romantic comedies that happen on an expedition will find this the sort of thing they like.

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