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Cinema has something for everyone during the holiday
Enjoy a nice change by spending part of Idul Fitri at the cinemas watching one of the big-budget Indonesian films to be released during the holiday period
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span>Enjoy a nice change by spending part of Idul Fitri at the cinemas watching one of the big-budget Indonesian films to be released during the holiday period.
Four movies of different genres will ensure everyone can find something to their liking during this long weekend — a sweet romance, a melodrama, a horror and a comedy. The closest thing the films have in common is perhaps Lukman Sardi, the actor who appears in three of them, or the fact that they are all targeted at viewers aged 13 to 25.
Below are a series of brief reviews of the films.
Sweet 20
Young on the outside: Tatjana Saphira plays Mieke in Sweet 20. (Courtesy of StarVision Plus)
Sweet 20 is the Indonesian version of South Korean’s Miss Granny, probably the world’s most adapted film.
Just like its counterparts, the Indonesian version of the film adds local elements, in this case Idul Fitri holiday gatherings and dangdut songs, to the sweet fantasy story with universal appeal.
It chronicles the adventure of a brokenhearted 70-year-old Fatma (Niniek L. Karim) who leaves her son’s home after refusing to be sent to a home for the elderly. Magical things happen when she reminisces about her lost youth and she finds herself in her 20s again.
With a new name and appearance, Mieke (Tatjana Saphira) tries to pursue her young dream to become a singer and in the process has to deal with admiration and affection from three men: her old love, a music director and her own grandson that leads to some comical situations.
It’s an eye-candy-loaded film that will be entertaining for the whole family, with its elderly characters allowed to just be themselves and not some on-screen gimmick, something that is still rare in Indonesia.
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Sweet 20
(Romantic drama, 109 minutes)
Production: CJ Entertainment, StarVision Plus
Director: Ody C. Harahap
Screenplay: Upi Avianto
Cast: Tatjana Saphira, Niniek L. Karim, Morgan Oey, Kevin Julio, Lukman Sardi, Cut Mini
Rating: 13+
Insya Allah, Sah!
Insya Allah, Sah! (Officially Married) is a romantic comedy that relies heavily on Pandji Pragiwaksono, the only comedian among the three leads. He plays Raka, a geek with a lot of words of wisdom who likes to put his nose into other people’s love affairs, one of whom happens to be stuck in an elevator with him.
An adaption from the novel of the same title by Achi TM, it follows Silvi (Titi Kamal) who makes an oath to change her lifestyle if she gets out of the malfunctioning elevator in one piece, as she is expecting her boyfriend Dion (Richard Kyle) to ask for her hand in marriage.
She forgets the oath as soon as she walks out of the elevator, but Raka becomes her conscience and keeps reminding her to live up to her words. Silvi continues to find herself in predicaments until she makes the changes she promised.
While the storyline itself may trigger the writing of a thesis on internalized misogyny, there are some real comedic moments in the movie and a lot of not-to-be-missed cameos.
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Insya Allah, Sah!
(Drama comedy, 97 minutes)
Production: MD Pictures
Director: Benni Setiawan
Author: Achi TM
Cast: Richard Kyle, Titi Kamal, Pandji Pragiwaksono, Donita, Ira Maya Sopha
Rating: 13+
Jailangkung
After 16 years, duo Jose Poernomo and Rizal Mantovani have returned with a film centering on the local folklore of Jailangkung — a traditional game of summoning a spirit. The first film in the Jelangkung series was released in 2001 and recorded 1.3 million viewers, the highest for the horror genre in a long time. It has been considered a cult classic ever since.
The storyline of the new release, however, is not at all similar to other films in the Jelangkung franchise. It follows the mission of three sisters Angel (Hannah Al Rashid), Bella (Amanda Rawles) and Tasya (Gabriella Quinlyn) to find the reason their father (Lukman Sardi) fell into a deep coma. Bella receives help from Rama (Jefri Nichol), her college friend who has an interest in metaphysics, and Rama’s grandfather (Butet Kertaradjasa).
In their journey they discover their father’s secret and the cause of the family’s misery.
The storyline is thick with drama, but the script doesn’t help in building the emotion. Most of the scary scenes are not very frightening, something that might be the consequence of trying to make the film appropriate for young viewers. However, it opens wide the possibility of more sequels to come.
One thing worth mentioning is the basic idea of trying to explain the ghostly phenomenon with a more scientific approach.
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Jailangkung
(Horror, 102 menit)
Production: Screenplay Films, Legacy Pictures
Director: Jose Poernomo, Rizal Mantovani
Scriptwriter: Baskoro Adi Wuryanto
Cast: Jefri Nichol, Amanda Rawles, Hannah Al Rashid, Lukman Sardi, Wulan Guritno, Gabriella Quinlyn, Augie Fantinus, Butet Kertaradjasa
Rating: 13+
Surat Kecil untuk Tuhan
Surat Kecil Untuk Tuhan (A Note to God) is the touching story of two orphaned siblings, Anton (Bima Azriel) and Angel (Izzati Khansa), trapped in a syndicate exploiting neglected children to become street beggars.
Bunga Citra Lestari plays the adult Angel, who is later adopted and becomes a lawyer in Australia, returning to find her brother after 15 years of separation.
In her newfound happiness with her physician fiancée Martin (played by Joe Taslim), Angel decides to put an end to her dark past along with the misery of street children.
Directed by Fajar Bustomi, the film promises to be a sweet pick for family entertainment during the Idul Fitri holiday, the time of �counting our blessings and forgiving others.
It’s not something to be missed, not with the big-budget promotion that includes the installation of large LED screen in strategic spots showing the poster and trailer of the film.
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Surat Kecil untuk Tuhan
(Drama, 100 minutes)
Production: Falcon Pictures
Director: Fajar Bustomi
Scriptwriter: Upi Avianto
Cast: Bunga Citra Lestari, Joe Taslim, Lukman Sardi, Aura Kasih, Ben Joshua, Maudy Koesnaedi
Rating: General Audience
