A biopic of Indonesia’s third president, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, illuminates his lifelong devotion to his wife.

The movie, Habibie & Ainun, opens with a rickshaw ride on a rainy night in Bandung, West Java, in the 1960s. Habibie (played by Reza Rahadian) asks Ainun (Bunga Citra Lestari) to marry him and to join him on his trip to Germany.

“I can’t promise you the world. I can’t promise you that we will have an easy life. I don’t know if you can have your practice there, but I promise you that I will be the best husband for you,” says a steadfast Habibie to his future wife during his proposal of marriage to her.

Ainun replied the vow with a promise that she might not always be the best wife, but she would always be on his side, no matter what.

Following the proposal, Habibie, who already had a life in Germany, married Hasri Ainun Besari on Ma...