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'Jenderal Soedirman': The general's ingenious guerrilla warfare
Soedirman (in a palanquin) and his men travel along heavy terrain during guerrilla against the Dutch in 1948
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Soedirman (in a palanquin) and his men travel along heavy terrain during guerrilla against the Dutch in 1948.
When the former Indonesian capital of Yogyakarta was under attack during the post-independence war against the Dutch back in 1948, Gen. Soedirman left the city and went into the jungle of Java to lead guerrilla warfare.
Gen. Soedirman's strategies and tactics during the post-independence war overwhelmed the Dutch and turned him into the most-wanted man in the country.
The general's struggle to lead the guerrilla forces for seven months, traveling more than 1,000 kilometers while sick, is depicted by Viva Westi in Jenderal Soedirman, produced in collaboration with the Indonesian Army, the Army Veteran Association and Padma Pictures.
The biopic begins with Soedirman (Adipati Dolken) being elected as the military commander-in-chief in 1945 and moves straight to 1948 when the Dutch announced they were no longer bound by the Renville Agreement, bombing and dropping paratroopers in Yogyakarta and several other cities.
Soedirman reports the situation to then president Sukarno (Baim Wong) and vice president Mohammad Hatta (Nugie), prompting him to organize a Cabinet meeting.
Sukarno then tells Soedirman they will remain in the city amid the attack and take on the risk of being captured, asking the general to also stay due to his illness.
As a soldier, Soedirman could not just remain idle and decides to leave Yogyakarta to begin a guerrilla operation against the Dutch.
Accompanied by his adjutant, Tjokropranolo or Capt. Nolly (Ibnu Jamil) and his personal doctor Suwondo (Anto Galon) as well as several other soldiers and civilians, they start their journey from Bantul in Central Java to Pacitan, East Java.
Short on materials and funds, Soedirman orders Nolly to sell his wife's jewelry to help them survive.
The small convoy learns along the way that Sukarno and Hatta have been captured and sent into exile on Bangka Island.
Not deterred by the arrest, Soedirman announces through radio across the nation that Indonesia, with its military forces, is still going strong.
Enraged by his move, the Dutch, equipped with adequate artillery, launches a more extensive search for him and his group.
Meanwhile, as he's becoming weak, Soedirman has to be carried around, moving from one village to another, seeking refuge in local people's houses.
Their journey does not get any easier; often the group only have little time to rest before the Dutch troops find their tracks and attack the village where they have stayed.
To distract the Dutch, Soedirman tells one of his men to wear his clothes as a decoy. One night, when they are taking shelter in a house and the Dutch troops are reported to be near, Soedirman shows his skills as a guerrilla commander who is always able to think quick and smart under pressure, to get away from the Dutch.
The tension in the two-hour film is well built by Westi and TB Deddy Safiuddin as scriptwriters. And Westi's camera angles, and background music during the the hide-and-seek scenes between the Dutch and Soedirman's troops successfully creates an atmosphere of suspense.
Her work depicting how Soedirman and his men have to travel through difficult terrain in the jungles and mountains deserves praise.
Unfortunately, the film is so focused on Soedirman that it does not give space to the factual historical background ' such as the strategy and drafting tactics, as well as the dispatch of other guerrilla troops ' that would showcase the greatness of Indonesia's guerrilla and military forces.
The portrayal of Soedirman by Adipati, who won the Citra Award in 2013, is convincing enough. But his whole appearance, and that of the rest of the cast, would have been better if it was more ragged and dirtier to represent their hardships during the war.
Meanwhile, Baim looks awkward as the founding father Sukarno, while Nugie seems to be trying too hard to be Hatta. They lack chemistry when they're in the same frame too.
The collaboration with the army gives the film an authentic feel as it features antique weapons and tanks. However, the computer-generated imagery (CGI) used in the film to describe the bombings feels incongruous.
All in all, Jenderal Soedirman, which hit theaters nationwide on Aug. 27, is a good addition to the list of films about the nation's history.
' Photos courtesy of Padma Pictures
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Jenderal Soedirman (Padma Pictures; 120 minutes)
Directors: Viva Westi
Producers: Kiki Syahnakri, Handi Ilfat Ibrahim, Sekar Ayu Asmara
Cast: Adipati Dolken, Ibnu Jamil, Baim Wong, Nugie, Mathias Muchus, Abdus Samad, Angga Riyadi, Gregorius Andika
