The overused formula of casting film stars or teen idols to promote a film may soon be a thing of the past, as many film producers have started to invest in the script.

Two Indonesian films released this week are a good example of film productions built on the script.

Critical Eleven, a production of Starvision Plus and Legacy Pictures, has a solid team of scriptwriters to adapt a novel, while K2K Production extended the pre-production phase for Selebgram to revise the script again and again before moving on.

The films hit theaters on Wednesday and have received a good response.

Critical Eleven

Based on a best-selling novel of the same title authored by Ika Natassa, this is one of the most eagerly awaited films this year, and the long wait was not a waste of time.

Starvision Plus and Legacy Pictures collaborated to meet high public expectations of drama on screen, casting award-winning actors and hiring top talent for the production team.

Scriptwriting was put in the able hands of Jenny Jusuf, Ika and two directors — Monty Tiwa and Robert Ronny, while Yudi Datau and Andi Rianto were put in charge as the directors of photography and film scoring, respectively.

Songwriter and singer Isyana Sarasvati produced and performed “Sekali Lagi” (Once Again) as the film’s theme song — her first work in the movie industry.

The cast is a star-studded lineup that, besides the lead actors of Adinia Wirasti and Reza Rahadian, includes seasoned actors Slamet Rahardjo and Widyawati as well as younger ones with their own horde of fans, such as Hamish Daud, Mikha Tambayong and Refal Hady.

The title comes from airline lingo for the two critical periods of a flight — three minutes after take-off and eight minutes before landing — where cabin crew members are prohibited from communicating with the cockpit unless the safety of the flight or its passengers is in jeopardy.

This condition that allows for “essential communication” only is used to describe the fateful acquaintance of Anya (Adinia) and Ale (Reza) on a flight to Sydney.

It leads to a marriage, and the lovebirds decide to move to New York, with Ale working at a Mexico-based mining company. A miscarriage, however, threatens to destroy their marriage.

The producers took a brave yet risky decision to shorten the storyline into a film of more than two hours rather than splitting it up for a sequel. This decision led to a frail delivery toward the end of the film, but that weakness was covered up by the strong chemistry between Reza and Adinia.

The film marks the third time they were cast as a couple, which surely helped with their on-screen intimacy.

Critical Eleven is a sweet adult romance that could bring viewers to tears and to look back at their own marriage.

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Critical Eleven

(Romantic drama; 135 minutes)

Director: Monty Tiwa, Robert Ronny

Production: Starvision Plus, Legacy Pictures

Scriptwriters: Jenny Jusuf, Monty Tiwa, Robert Ronny, Ika Natassa

Cast: Reza Rahadian, Adinia Wirasti, Astrid Tiar, Hamish Daud, Hannah Al Rashid, Slamet Rahardjo, Widyawati Sophiaan, Revalina S. Temat, Refal Hady, Mikha Tambayong, Nino Fernandez, Dwi Sasono

Rating: 17+

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Selebgram

This film already has its niche market of teenagers, with singing idol Aldi Maldini of boy group CJR chosen for a cast lineup that also includes real-life selebgram — national celebrity of photo-sharing platform Instagram — Ria Ricis.

Selebgram is the second film by director Wishnu Kuncoro with K2K Pictures and very different from his debut, Generasi Kocak: 90an vs Komika (Funny Generations: the 90s Comedians vs Standup Comics), where the cast needed less direction for improvisation.

Producer KK Dheeraj also involved journalist Puji Lestari in the team to reshape the storyline. As a result, the film has a well-controlled pace right from the start that escalates well toward the end.

The story is that of Kamal (Aldi) helping his father pay off all his debt after the latter had lost his business. Kamal also has to end his relationship with Billa (Billa Barbie), because her father (Opie Kumis) disapproves of their marriage plan.

To get out of the difficult financial situation, Kamal thinks about becoming a “selebgram” in the hope of making quick money by endorsing products, but becoming an Instagram sensation is not as easy as he expected.

In his desperation, Kamal meets mute girl Cello (Syifa Hadju) and her talkative sister Sherly (Ria Ricis) who help him solve all of his problems.

Some smart, funny lines and scenes of traditional Betawi art performances freshen up the romantic mood of the film.

The cast is decent, even though the actors have to portray older characters. Some of them do so surprisingly well, including Ria Ricis, despite this being her first appearance in a film.

While not without some deficiencies in the details, Selebgram tries to get across some moral messages in a unique delivery that makes it worth watching for a weekend away from the phone screen.

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Selebgram

(Romantic comedy, 91 minutes)

Director: Wishnu Kunchoro

Production: K2K Pictures

Scriptwriter: Herri Arissa, Puji Lestari

Cast: Aldi Maldini, Syifa Hadju, Ria Ricis, Billa Barbie, Arief Didu, Opie Kumis, Joe Project Pop, Rudy Sipit, Mono Cocok

Rating: 13+

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