The latest sports biopic 3 Srikandi (3 Heroines) shows that a top-notch cast and long production timeframe do not guarantee a good-quality movie.

Film producer Raam Punjabi shared interesting information during the premier of Iman Brotoseno’s debut feature film, 3 Srikandi, last week. He said that when Iman pitched the idea about the film to his production company, the director said 3 Srikandi would be his first and last feature film.

“Pak Iman promised me 3 Srikandi would be his final feature film so he said he was going to put all his energy into it,” Raam said.

Raam seemed to buy it, giving Iman a good cast, including award-winning actor Reza Rahadian. He also allowed the director to finalize the movie within one year, which is quite long for film production in Indonesia.

Yet, despite all these benefits, it seems Iman has failed to deliver on his promise.

3 Srikandi is a sports biopic that tells the story of three Indonesian female archers — Nurfitriyana S. Lantang (Bunga Citra Lestari), Lilies Handayani (Chelsea Iskan) and Kusuma Wardhani (Tara Basro) — who won silver medals during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

They were the first ever medals in Indonesia’s Olympic history.

As a sports film that portrays one of the most historical events in Indonesia’s sports history, 3 Srikandi offers little or, in most scenes, no excitement at all.

The screenplay is adapted directly from typical low-budget screenplays that are often seen in Indonesian sinetron (soap operas) or day-time television films.

What is even worse than the screenplay is the script. Clichés and corny dialogue are everywhere in 3 Srikandi, so that it feels more like a lengthy video by motivational speakers.

The torture of clichés and corny dialogue begins in the first 10 minutes of the film, a period in which the audience hears meaningless rhetorical lines such as “kibarkan sang saka” (raise the red-and-white flag of Indonesia) repeated far too many times.

Eye on the prize: Udi (Donny Damara, center), an executive of the Indonesian archery federation, looks on as the three female archers compete for medals.

The first half of the film focuses on introducing the main characters, their backgrounds and personal ordeals. There is a sense of being rushed during these introductions, which do not allow us to fully connect and believe in them.

First, there is Donald Pandiangan (Reza Rahadian), a talented archer whose dreams of an Olympics gold were dashed because of the Indonesian government’s decision to boycott the 1980 Olympics in Moscow following the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.

A devastated athlete, Donald leaves archery and becomes a street mechanic. At night, he wastes his life on booze and the everlasting beat of discotheque music. As the 1988 Olympics get nearer, Udi (Donny Damara), an executive from the Indonesian archery federation, tries to persuade Donald to coach young archers who are going to compete.

For whatever reason, probably because of a poor script, Donald, who has been feeling disgust and apathy toward archery, decides that he is going to fulfill Udi’s request to coach the women’s team.

The film then rushes through the introductions of the three female archers who will eventually form Donald’s main team. Each of them has their own personal problems as they prepare to go to the Olympics.

Nurfitriyana has a father who does not like the idea of his daughter spending her last semester training for the Olympics, Kusuma has to miss out on a chance to become a civil servant so that she can compete, while Lilies carries the burden of winning a medal to make her athlete parents proud while at the same time trying to shrug off her mother’s attempt to make her marry a rich businessman.

The weak script and storytelling reach their climax at the final scene, which is supposed to be an epic battle between the Indonesian archery team and the US. The scene in which Lilies, the worst performing archer in the previous singles events, manages to hit the crucial target and win the medal for Indonesia, falls flat.

However, there are also a few positive notes from 3 Srikandi and the most noticeable one is the acting by Reza and Chelsea. For Reza, giving a convincing performance as a temperamental Bataknese coach is hardly a surprise because he is probably the best Indonesian actor today who can work up any kind of script no matter how bad it is.

Take aim: Kusuma Wardhani, played by Tara Basro (left to right), Lilies Handayani (Chelsea Islan) and Nurfitriyana S. Lantang (Bunga Citra Lestari) aim for the bull’s-eye.

However, Chelsea’s performance is completely refreshing considering that in her previous movies she has tended to be one-dimensional and unable to let go of her character from the Tetangga Masa Gitu (Weird Neighbors) sitcom that made her famous. In the film, she displays a wide range of versatility in portraying Lilies, the underdog archer who eventually plays the major role in winning the medal for Indonesia.

Compliments should also be paid to the research team behind the film. The vibe and aura of the 1980s are evident in the film with pop culture references and authentic period automobiles even down to the license plates.

These few positives, however, are not enough to salvage 3 Srikandi as a sports film that is exciting enough to be memorable.

— Photos courtesy of Multivision Plus

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