(Courtesy of The Interseksi Foundation)

It is common practice all over the world for people to migrate in an effort to better their lives, leaving behind family and friends in their hometowns.

Migrants are often faced with challenges but grow rich in experience despite sometimes struggling to make ends meet.

The documentary Harimau Minahasa (Minahasan Tiger) captures the story of a migrant who moves from one city to another in Indonesia before finding a place to settle.

The 64-minute film follows Budiono '€œAteng'€ Saputra, a Javanese Muslim who travels far from his hometown of Jember, East Java, to settle in Treman village, and North Minahasa '€” a one-hour drive from North Sulawesi'€™s capital of Manado.

Set in April 2014, the film begins by taking the audience to where locals, including Ateng, usually consume an alcoholic beverage called cap tikus (rodent brand) to enjoy the night.

Ateng discusses his dissatisfaction with his previous work experience in Java, Bali, Aceh and Medan, and then decides to tag along with his friend to Manado.  

As an informal worker, his previous jobs did not pay him well. Ateng would usually spend most of his pay as he hung out with friends.

While in Treman, known for its nutmeg, Ateng decides to work at a nutmeg plantation as a picker, selling the spice for Rp 5,000 per kilogram.

When he'€™s not picking nutmeg, Ateng helps the plantation owner maintain his small farm and becomes a gardener, doing whatever it takes to get by.

'€œHere, if you'€™re not lazy you can get around Rp 75,000 [US$5.30] a day, and that'€™s better than the money I earned while I was in Java, where I earned around Rp 50,000 a day,'€ Ateng, who has been living in the village for the past six years, said in the film.

One night, when Ateng is drunk and asleep in front of the TV in his room located within the plantation, he is possessed by his grandfather'€™s spirit who apparently acts as his guardian.

Ateng suddenly acts like a tiger and speaks Javanese, turning the room upside down for two hours. The directors, Andang Kelana and Syaiful Anwar, captured the moment well, making it a memorable part of the film.

Harimau Minahasa is a joint production between The Interseksi Foundation and Forum Lenteng. The film was recently screened at the third Arkipel Jakarta International Documentary & Experimental Film Festival. The film is scheduled to be screened in Bali, Padang in West Sumatera and Manado.

Andang and Syaiful were invited by the foundation during its research program that went to seven cities in Sulawesi, but were free to choose the topic of their documentary.

'€œWe initially wanted to make a film about nutmeg but after we met Ateng, we decided to change our whole focus and the nutmeg story became secondary,'€ Andang said.

So they decided to follow Ateng for seven days, starting from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

He also said that although people such as Ateng were common in the archipelago, there was something unique about Ateng and his life that other sources they met did not have.

'€œAteng is a nice and funny guy, but just like all of us, he has his own problems and deals with them in his own way,'€ Andang said.

The film is straightforward and simple but is representative of the struggles of migrants. It also shows what it'€™s like to live a simple life in rural areas that are rich with natural resources.

Ateng'€™s naivety sometimes trigger laughs among the audience but when the film digs '€” although not too deep '€” his personal stories out, it shows how mature he really is.

Andang also said they had submitted the film to several international film festivals, including Japan'€™s Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival.

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