Doel’s never-ending love triangle enters a new stage.

It seems that Doel, a pious Betawi man in the popular 1990s soap opera Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (Doel the College Boy), will always be in pensive sadness for his eternal love for the soft-spoken, traditional Betawi woman Zaenab and the rich, outspoken, Western-educated Sarah.

After the soap opera ended 14 years ago, the Doel family returns in Si Doel The Movie with its remaining members: Doel (Rano Karno), Sarah (Cornelia Agatha) and Zaenab (Maudy Koesnaedy), Mak Nyak (Aminah Cendrakasih), Atun (Suti Karno), Mandra (Mandra), Koh Ahong (Ahong) and Hans (Adam Jagwani).

The film, which is a sequel to the last episode of Si Doel Anak Sekolahan in 2004, begins with the happy-go-lucky Mandra, who cheerfully prepares for his first trip to the Netherlands to accompany his nephew, Doel, who has supposedly received a job offer there.

The offer, however, makes Doel’s mother, Mak Nyak, nervous because it came from Hans, Sarah’s cousin. She is afraid that in the Netherlands, his son will meet Sarah and the old flame between them will be rekindled.

Sarah is Doel’s first wife, who left him 14 years ago under unexplained circumstances. Doel went on to build a life with Zaenab, who divorced her husband, Andre.

Doel, however, never divorced Sarah. He tried to find her, but failed. He endured years of inner turmoil because he knew that she was pregnant at the time she left.  

Before he leaves for the Netherlands, Mak Nyak, who is very disappointed in Sarah, asks him to stop looking for her. Atun is also worried about her brother’s trip for the same reason. Zaenab, meanwhile, tries to think positively that her husband is flying to the Netherlands to meet Hans, not Sarah.

It turns out that Hans has invited Doel to the Netherlands for another reason: for him to meet up with Sarah. While visiting a museum in Amsterdam, Doel is shocked when he encounters his missing wife for the first time after more than a decade.

Scene stealer: Mandra (right) stands out in drama flick Si Doel The Movie. In the movie, he accompanies Doel to the Netherlands.

Sarah still loves Doel, but what motivated her to ask for Hans’s help to get him to Netherlands is their grown-up son, Dul (Fahreyza Anugrah), who wants to know who his father is.

Directed by Rano Karno, Si Doel The Movie does not disappoint. It centers on Doel’s emerging state of confusion over the new phase of his love triangle and his guilt as a father who has not helped raise his son.

Even though Doel is the main character, Mandra also stands out. Without him, the film would be boring. He is so talkative that he manages to balance the sadness and anxiety of Doel, who rarely speaks throughout the film.   

His comical behavior and natural humor manage to prompt laughter even though he does not try hard to be funny. Perhaps it’s because he is a comedian by nature.

Si Doel The Movie also evokes memories about other iconic characters who have passed away, such as Babe (Benyamin Sueb) and Karyo (Basuki), through sound footage presented in the film. Babe’s iconic blue oplet (public minivan of the 1970s) is also featured in the film.    

Aminah Cendrakasih, who has diminishing sight as a result of glaucoma, also deserves kudos for her performance in the film.

The film also introduces a new character: Atun’s son played by Kurtubi. However, the character is not deeply explored so that he just appears as an unnecessary extra character.   

In short, Si Doel The Movie might not be a great movie, but it is still worth watching, especially for die-hard fans of Si Doel Anak Sekolahan sitcom.

Estranged: Doel (right) meets Sarah in the Netherlands for the first time in 14 years.

— Photos courtesy of Falcon Pictures

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Si Doel The Movie

Director: Rano Karno
Genre: Drama comedy
Cast: Rano Karno, Cornelia Agatha, Maudy Koesnaedi, Mandra, Suti Karno, Aminah Cendrakasih
Running time: 85 minutes