Graceful lady: Athirah, played by Cut Mini, starts her own woven silk sarong business to make ends meet.

Athirah sends a subtle message from a woman dealing with polygamous marital issues and the economic crises in the 1960s wrapped in the rarely seen Bugis cultures.

The latest Miles production again showed the work of dynamic duo Riri Reza as director and Mira Lesmana as producer in taking on sensitive issues in the most unpretentious way.

They once again brought in the underestimated Cut Mini after her impressive performance as an inspiring teacher in Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Troops). It was a great decision as the seasoned actress gave soul to the titular character whose each gesture and stare speaks. A lot.

Actually, no one is chatty in the film, the script of which was written by Salman Aristo and Riri Reza based on the novel of the same title authored by Alberthiene Endah. The characters’ expressions need no verbal explanation. The dialogues are effective — even the voice-in monologue at the start of the film well serves as an introduction to the unusual story of Athirah.

Athirah happens to be the mother of Vice President Jusuf Kalla — the second lead character in the film, who flees the rebel-torn home village in Bone, South Sulawesi, with her husband Puang Ajji (Arman Dewarti) to the city of Makassar in the 1950s.

The couple starts a new life by renting a kiosk selling staple commodities until the business grows bigger and the family grows larger with three children and another one on its way.

It’s interesting how Riri creates the time-lapse sequence by showing the dinner table, which gets wider and fancier with more food and plates on it every time, but the very same dish — a bowl of bandeng (milk fish) stew, or pallu mara, always sits at the center of the table.

As the family business grows, so does the popularity of Puang Ajji, not only among the city rich people but also politicians and the ladies.

Heavily pregnant, Athirah does not say anything when her husband starts to miss the family dinner ritual but invites her mother Mak Kerah (Jajang C. Noer) to come over for a good cry. She still doesn’t say anything when her husband apologizes for secretly marrying another woman in Jakarta. Without a word, she shows him the door out of the house.

Her response is considered unusual at a time when polygamy is a common practice, as said by Mak Kerah, herself a fourth wife. With Puang Ajji no longer at present in the house every day, the family keeps his dinner utensils in the cabinet and treats him as a guest while Athirah runs the household as usual with her two daughters and older son Ucu (Christoffer Nelwan).

But, outside the house, Ucu has to deal with the jeering friends and rejection from Ida (Indah Permata Sari), his object of affection at school, because of his polygamous father. There are other crises that become a turning point in his life of taking the responsibility as the man of the house and his mother’s protector.

To make all ends meet, Athirah later starts a business of her own, traveling back and forth to Bone to get the villager artisans making the replicas of her own woven silk sarung and selling them. The sarung, especially made for her as a dowry and being used only on special occasions, has lost its sanctity once Athirah feels betrayed. And how sweet the revenge is.

The story is simple, the crises are mild and there is no definite ending to the film when much older Ucu (Nino Prabowo) and Ida (Tika Bravani) meet again and plan to go on a date. It could be a hint for a possible sequel with the couple as lead characters, but that is the least noteworthy aspect of the film.

The film captures the beautiful sceneries and the age-old traditions of the Bugis people — the households, language, music, songs, wedding party, food and the making of sarung. Kudos go to the artistic team and the cinematographer for the appropriate use of close-ups that bring out the best acting ever captured on screen lately.

These efforts could be the reason why we only see Mak Kerah in the first half of the 82-minute film despite her strong presence in the family, and there are not many interactions between Athirah with her two daughters, as if they are not affected at all by the changes in the family.

Miles involved local talents in the project, including Cannes’ winning director Wregas Bhanuteja who made the behind the scenes’ videos, hopefully to be included in the DVD version.

Under the international title Emma’ (Mother), the film would have its international premier at Toronto International Film Festival at about the same time as its home release on Sept. 29.

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Athirah
(Miles, 82 minutes)

Director: Riri Riza
Scriptwriter: Salman Aristo, Riri Riza
Cast: Cut Mini, Christoffer Nelwan, Jajang C. Noer, Arman Dewarti, Indah Permata Sari, Tika Bravani, Nino Prabowo, Andreuw Parinussa

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