Pretty boy: Awink (Ganindra Bimo), a gay stripper who introduces Pras (Oka Antara) into the crazy underground world of Jakarta.

Jakarta Undercover is one of those rare films that can keep the audience on the edge of their seats with compelling stories and characters.

Directed by Fajar Nugros, the film is a fictional adaptation of Moammar Emka’s book of the same title. The book chronicles the writer’s undercover reporting covering Jakarta nightlife from the mid 1990s the early 2000s. During that time, the capital’s adult entertainment scene was a taboo topic. The book became an instant bestseller that was followed up by three more publications in the same series.

A previous film adaptation was made in 2006 without Moammar’s direct involvement. This year, the book is getting another chance on the big screen with the writer directly involved this time. Moammar is collaborating with Fajar, who wrote the script with Piu Syarif.

From the beginning until the end, the film flows flawlessly. The film tells the story of Pras (Oka Antara), a young journalist from a small village in East Java who slowly discovers the shocking truth about Jakarta and its inhabitants after a series of encounters.

First, Pras meets Awink (Ganindra Bimo), a gay stripper who introduces the young journalist to the gay strip club culture in Jakarta. Then, there is Yoga (Baim Wong), a drug dealer whose life is saved by Pras and then becomes his close friend. Finally, there is Pras’ love interest, Rara (Tiara Eve), a glamorous model who unwillingly dives into the world of prostitution to support her family following her father’s arrest due to corruption.

From Pras’ interactions with his new friends, he learns about a new side of Jakarta. The film shows Pras captivated by the dark side of Jakarta, a world where even the wildest fantasies, from nyotaimori (the act of eating sushi off a woman’s naked body) to wild drugs and exclusive sex parties to high class prostitution rings led by a transgender pimp, Mama San (Agus Kuncoro), can come true.

With his new discovery of Jakarta, Pras, who gets bored with his chief editor’s (Lukman Sardi) constant orders to write sleazy promotional articles paid for by an influential politician (Tio Pakusadewo), knows that he has found a great story to write.

By writing the story, however, Pras must betray the trust of his new friends, who live and breathe the crazy underground world of Jakarta. He also has to hide his identity as a journalist to get the story. Dealing with his own internal conflicts, Pras will soon find out more about friendship, betrayal and the truth about himself and the people of Jakarta.

Jakarta Undercover is filled with endless social commentary. However, the film never becomes pretentious or preachy. The narratives are properly structured and the delivery is both fun and emotionally engaging.

New characters are introduced one by one throughout the film. Jakarta Undercover follows a typical three-part format — set up, confrontation and resolution — in presenting its story. In each part, the film is able to build emotional engagement with the audience.

During the first part, Jakarta Undercover looks like a feel good film riddled with fun and eclectic dialog. In the second part, the film brings our emotions up and down with a versatile mix of satire, romance and drama. To close, the film culminates with a breathtakingly strong finale.

Jakarta Undercover’s actors are well casted. Their performance is so good that all of its leading actors — Oka, Ganindra, Baim and Lukman — deserve a nomination for best acting performance at this year’s Piala Citra Awards.

For Oka and Lukman, their excellent acting is no surprise as the two actors are known for portraying numerous complex characters. However, Ganindra and Baim clearly raised their standards and stepped out of their comfort zones in Jakarta Undercover.

Ganindra, a muscular actor who usually portrays a tough guy character, is spectacular to watch in his portrayal of a feminine gay man.

Baim, an actor who has spent most of his career playing shallow characters in badly written sinetrons (soap operas), is brilliant in his portrayal of a villain with complex layers of sorrow. He is a character of many contradictions. He is despicable yet gentle. He remains loyal but also deals with dishonesty.

Each actor shines and every character becomes more and more relatable as the film progresses.

Jakarta Undercover is highly recommended. The film provides honest talk about Jakarta as it delves into the hypocrisy and egotism of the city’s underground scene.

— Photos Courtesy of DemiIstri/Pio Kharisma

________________________

Jakarta undercover

Director: Fajar Nugros
Based on: Jakarta Undercover by Moammar Emka
Cast: Oka Antara, Ganindra Bimo, Baim Wong, Lukman Sardi, Tiara Eve, Nikita Mirzani, Tio Pakusadewo

Run time: 107 minutes

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