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'Memories of My Body' collects praises, award nominations despite controversy
Critics underline the film’s strong narrative and technical artistry.
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A character poses in a still from ‘Memories of My Body’. (Fourcolours Film/File)
F
ilm critics and queer activists have praised Garin Nugroho’s Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku (Memories of My Body), which received a total of 12 nominations in the 2019 Indonesian Film Festival (FFI).
It is nominated in the Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actor categories, among others.
“It is the face of contemporary Indonesia,” said film critic Hikmat Darmawan to The Jakarta Post on Friday.
The film, which tells the story of a real-life traditional dancer, received backlash due to its alleged homoerotic nature. But film critics considered it a cinematic masterpiece in terms of technical achievement and narrative presentation.
“Indonesia is too big to be compressed into one film, therefore filmmakers should cleverly choose one piece of Indonesia to focus on. The subculture chosen to be presented in the movie is legitimate, as it has been a reality in Indonesia for hundreds of years,” Hikmat said.
“The lead character carries within himself an organically growing traditional culture. Then he encounters other traditional aspects such as gemblak [becoming a lover of one's teacher or mentor] and a modern Indonesian experience such as the 1965 tragedy. He also experiences the early encounters with radio and modern music, modern professions, which in their own ways sculpt him into a unique personality,” Hikmat said.
He also said that sexuality is just one aspect of the film, which made some people reduce the film to "just" a movie about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
