TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
'Dear David' review: The first great Indonesian film of 2023
Anchored by career-best performances from Shenina Cinnamon and Caitlin North Lewis, the latest Indonesian Netflix original feature dares to ask the big questions about what it means to be young and free of judgment.
Change Size
Young vanguard: 'Dear David' stars Citra Award-nominee Shenina Cinnamon (pictured) as the film's lead. (Courtesy of Netflix Indonesia) (Archive/Courtesy of Netflix Indonesia)
A
nchored by strong performances from Shenina Cinnamon and Caitlin North Lewis, the latest Indonesian Netflix original feature dares to ask the big questions about what it means to be young and free of judgment.
---
**This review contains light spoilers for Dear David.**
Teen sexuality is a subject that Indonesian filmmakers have rarely gotten right. While coming-of-age pictures such as 2004's Virgin, 2019's Two Blue Stripes and 2022's Argantara have enjoyed considerable success, sex was nevertheless presented as a sort of notional antagonist – whenever the teen protagonist even remotely considers it, life-altering consequences most certainly follow suit.
On Feb. 9, director Lucky Kuswandi (Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens) and screenwriters Winnie Benjamin and Daud Sumolang attempted to put a more nuanced lens on teen sexuality, resulting in Netflix original feature Dear David. Led by Citra Award-nominee Shenina Cinnamon (Photocopier), rounding up the cast ensemble are Emir Mahira (Rumah Tanpa Jendela), Caitlin North Lewis (Paranoia), Maya Hasan (Cek Toko Sebelah 2), Jenny Zhang (Sri Asih) and a special appearance from Lutesha (The Big 4, Panduan Mempersiapkan Perpisahan).
Hot and bothered
Laras (Shenina Cinnamon) is the epitome of a teacher's pet. She is a straight-A, scholarship student whose mother (Maya Hasan) owns and runs a modest building materials store. Contrary to her wholesome persona, Laras quietly struggles with her hormones and often channels her R-rated fantasies about her secret crush, David (Emir Mahira) by writing risqué, fantasy-themed stories on her private blog, using the username DearDavid.
Laras' school life is soon upended when, without her knowledge, someone accesses her blog and leaks her stories for her schoolmates' amusement, though no one knows who DearDavid is. David, whose face is used by Laras for the cover artwork of all her stories, immediately gains infamy much to his chagrin. Meanwhile, the school principal (Jenny Zhang) starts sweeping the students to reveal the author's identity, Laras grows more hesitant to come clean.
To make Laras' situation more complicated, David easily figures out that she is the author behind the DearDavid username. Feeling responsible for his reputation at school, Laras agrees to help David get closer to his crush, Dilla (Caitlin North Lewis), who is Laras' former best friend. Dilla is notorious at school as well, she is often shamed by her classmates due to her sultry social media posts and rumors about her virginity. Little do Laras and David know, Dilla also harbors a secret of her own.
Sex and society
Perhaps the crowning glory of Lucky Kuswandi’s Dear David is how he can present his coming-of-age story as both an intimate study of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood and a critical illustration of how Indonesian society often treats sex with folly and, even worse, hypocrisy.
As the film's screenwriters, Winnie Benjamin and Daud Sumolang have introduced themselves as exciting storytellers to watch thanks to their ability to embed nuances in almost all characters that live and breathe in Laras' world – including the mob against her. Yes, the mostly nameless students and teachers at Laras, David and Dilla's school unanimously pose a public stand that DearDavid's stories are morally abhorrent and the author deserves the punishment of the highest order. However, on the flip side, it is crystal clear how all of them find joy and pleasure in the stories as well.
The infamy that David and Dilla face bears different significance as well – a deft illustration of how, in this day and age, women face double standards from an early age. While David is often teased by his male schoolmates, Winnie Benjamin and Daud Sumolang's writing indicates that any mockery may come from a place of envy considering how David is suddenly considered the resident hot jock. His female schoolmates, meanwhile, start putting David on the pedestal due to how DearDavid's stories graphically describe his sex appeal.
Unfortunately, the same envy and adulation are not given to Dilla, who is callously labeled the school pariah for her confidence and sex appeal. This is where Lucky Kuswandi, compared with his fellow filmmakers, gets it right. Through Dear David, he delivers an important question to the audience: when the same event results in different ramifications for two different sexes, what does it mean for us as, what today is supposed to be, a wiser and more sophisticated society?
Triumphant youth
As the film progresses, Lucky Kuswandi and company also dare to challenge the audience about who the so-called “victim” of this unfortunate incident is: Laras, David, Dilla or perhaps none of the above. It depends on how we place significance, and taboos, on teen curiosity and the exploration of one's sexuality. By the end of the film, the audience might even wonder whether DearDavid's stories are that risqué in the first place – especially in an era when steamier erotica (such as the 365 Days trilogy, also on Netflix) is available to watch by literally anyone.
Shenina Cinnamon cements herself as the actor of her generation thanks to her ability to convey Laras' sexual infatuation and sexual frustration in equal measure. Although the scenes featuring Laras' fantasies could have used more heat to better illustrate her lust-fueled mindscape, Shenina Cinnamon manages to patch any technical shortcoming by perfecting her acting basics – from her skittish gaze at David to her strained expression whenever Dilla's charm drags Laras' thoughts back to Earth.
Dear David also marks a sweet comeback for Emir Mahira as he reminds the audience of the acting prowess that once earned him a Citra Award for Best Actor at the age of 14. Nonetheless, the most valuable player (MVP) award of Dear David goes to Caitlin North Lewis whose Dilla, as the film enters its third act, delivers more urgency than Laras and David. Dilla's third act, without spoiling much, might shock conservative audiences. However, when other young actors could tackle this role with over-the-top vehemence, Caitlin North Lewis fills her every moment on screen with grace and compassion.
Dear David's final resolution is, for lack of a better phrase, a head-scratcher. Perhaps Lucky Kuswandi and the writers understood from the get-go that there is no Hollywood ending for a story about self-loathing teenagers and their misunderstood desires. However, just like any secret fantasy that everyone keeps for themselves, who are we to cast a judgment?
Dear David is available to watch on Netflix.
