D

omestic abuse does not always involve physical violence; it can also come in the form of betrayal, mental terrorizing and simple acts of selfish ignorance.

That seems to be the message that aspiring young filmmaker Kamila Andini tries to convey in her new short film Sendiri Diana Sendiri, promoted in English as Following Diana, which addresses the issue of polygamy.

According to Kamila, the film is based on a true story of a close relative.

The film tells the daily life of Diana (Raihaanun), a 30-something housewife who spends her days taking care of her young son, Rifki (Panji Rafendra Putra) while her husband, Ari (Tanta Ginting), is away at work.

One night, Ari comes home and presents Diana with a PowerPoint presentation about how he wants to share his life with another woman.

In the presentation, Ari explains the number of days he will spend with Diana and Rifki in a week, and how he will allocate the remaining weekdays to his new woman. Ari also presents a scheme about how he will allocate his income to fund both of his families.

When the presentation is over, Diana is in total shock when Ari coldly tells her '€œI am going to get married again.'€

Throughout the 40 minutes of the film, Kamila then takes the audience on a personal journey to see how Diana struggles with her husband'€™s plan to marry another woman and live a polygamous lifestyle.

The film'€™s short playing time does not prevent Kamila from delivering numerous profound messages about domestic violence and the difficult and complicated choices a woman must make in her life.

One of the strongest messages delivered in the film is about how a patriarchal society will always blame women and expect them to be more permissive, regardless of the fact that they are the ones whose dignity and rights are being violated.

In one scene, for example, Diana is seen talking to her mother about her husband'€™s decision to marry another woman. Her mother'€™s response is somewhat baffling, telling Diana to try as hard as she can to maintain her bond with Ari.

Diana'€™s discussion with her in-laws also does not earn her garner the least bit of support. While her in-laws are mad with Ari, they also ask Diana to be a bit '€œmore attentive'€ to her husband so that he might change his mind.

While the theme of a woman being deeply tormented by a husband'€™s unfaithfulness and disloyalty is not really that unique, there is something truly refreshing in the way Kamila delivers the story in the film.

Kamila does not let the film fall into cliché by being preachy or using a lot of tear-jerking scenes to convey her messages. There are scenes in which Diana is seen crying, but by no means do her tears make her look weak or hopeless.

'€œI decided not to include a lot of scenes that focus on conflict or sadness because for me, those were not the things that I wanted to highlight in the film,'€ Kamila said at a recent screening at the Kineforum mini movie theater in Taman Ismail Marzuki in Cikini, Central Jakarta.

'€œI want to focus on the personal and private space of the woman. That is why I use a lot of scenes in which we see Diana contemplating or simply resting after a conflict or an altercation that might have taken place in the story,'€ she added.

Kamila'€™s strong directing and unique storytelling approach are complemented with superb acting from all the main cast.

Raihaanun shows great capability to evoke her character'€™s struggle and devastation through her eyes and natural body language.

Tanta manages to bounce back as an actor after his mediocre and forgettable performance as the communist Semaun in Tjokroaminoto, a massive biopic directed by Kamila'€™s father, Garin Nugroho.

In Sendiri Diana Sendiri, Tanta successfully portrays the character of a selfish man who seems to have no remorse whatsoever about the damage he has done to his wife and son. He is as cold as he is cunning. He speaks softly but his words used to justify his second marriage are as hurtful as a sharp blade stabbed into the center of the heart.

Tanta introduces a domestic abuser who does not do damage with his fists, but with his words and subtle mental terrorizing. These domestic abusers are not as commonly known in society, but the hurt they inflict can be more dangerous as the results of their deeds are not as easily identified.

The most noteworthy actor, however, is Panji, the youngest of the lead actors. He displays a precocious versatility in his great on-screen chemistry with Raihaanun as mother and son.