Movies about women that are directed by women always offer interesting perspectives and angles.

Male directors, no matter how hard they try, can never accomplish the same level of engagement and depth when they talk about women in their movies. They often end up stereotyping women, and with patriarchy and machismo embedded within them as men, who could blame them?

In Labuan Hati (Port of Hearts), director Lola Amaria takes us by the hand and slowly leads us into the complicated minds of three women from different backgrounds and with stories, who cross paths in the beautifully majestic Labuan Bajo in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara.

Bia (Kelly Tandiono) is a housewife from Jakarta who is indulging in “me time” away from her husband (who she sees as a loser) and her 9-year old daughter (who she misses very much) by vacationing in Labuan Bajo. She loves to read motivational books and drops inspirational quotes she finds in them during conversations to prove how happy and perfect her life is.

At the hotel, Bia meets Indi (Nadine Chandrawinata), who is supposedly happily engaged to a man who is also her business partner. Indi’s fiancé is very demanding and constantly tries to control her vacation by frequently calling her from Jakarta.

Bia eagerly persuades Indi to go as wild as she possibly can during her last days of being single and before she gets trapped in a marriage. Needless to say, they become close friends and Indi decides to follow Bia in exploring Labuan Bajo.

Their tour guide is Maria (Ully Triani), a woman struggling to move on from her ex-fiancé, Hans, who left her just before the wedding.

Joining them is Mahesa (Ramon Y. Tungka), a charming diving instructor who takes them on an island-hopping tour around East Nusa Tenggara’s waters.

When three very different women, each of whom is facing her own private ordeals, spend too much time together with only one man in the mix, what could possibly happen? As predicted, Bia, Indi and Maria begin vying for Mahesa’s attention.

From a male perspective, Labuan Hati seems to confirm certain stereotypes about women: they are complicated, they are drama queens and they refuse to be blamed for anything.

 It is really confusing for a man like myself to watch a scene in which one of the women actually blames Mahesa for escalating conflict between the trio.

“You are too kind, to the point that you’ve made all three of us fall in love with you,” she told him.

A man watching the scene will naturally wonder how it was Mahesa’s fault that the women couldn’t control their emotions.

However, if men were willing to tone down their patriarchal egos, they would see that Labuan Hati could be interpreted as a subtle message about unjustified power relations between men and women.

The women in Labuan Bajo seem to lead good lives and have good careers, yet they are somehow attached to men who make them miserable, even amid the beautiful scenery of Labuan Bajo. While in the throes of their misery, they meet Mahesa, who leads them into an escapist’s reality in which they finally find a man who treats them with kindness and respect.

As Bia, Indi and Maria compete for his affection, Mahesa – whether intentionally or not – plays with their insecurities to feed his own ego and needs.

It is unfortunate that a potentially interesting drama about women struggling to find happiness features very little chemistry among the main cast.

Bia’s and Indi’s attraction to Mahesa never seem quite genuine. The only spark from the cast comes from Maria, who is perfectly portrayed by Ully.

The screenplay from Titien Wattimena, fortunately, manages to compensate for the lack of chemistry between Labuan Hati’s lead actors.

Like in Titien’s previous film, Winter in Tokyo, she once again displays her ability to exploit beautiful scenery, turning Labuan Hati’s locations into more than just a background as they substantially complement a scene’s context and story.

Released in theaters on April 6, Labuan Hati offers an interesting perspective on women and their own complexities.

__________________________

Labuan Hati

(Lola Amaria Production, 141 minutes)

Directed by Lola Amaria

Cast:  Kelly Tandiono, Nadine Chandrawinata, Ully Triani and Ramon Y. Tungka

Popular

Stocks in Asia rise, yen wobbles after volatile start to week

In Numbers: How women fare in Indonesia

Indonesia may offer dual citizenship to attract overseas workers, minister says