Memory lane: Bebas is an adaptation of the 2011 South Korean movie Sunny.

No wonder, really, that high school fiction is a constant staple through the years. Add that to the current batch of 1990s kids finally settling in their 30s and 40s, and you’ve got a winning formula.

Yet producer Mira Lesmana and director Riri Riza’s latest flick Bebas (Free) won’t draw you in just for the nostalgia factor; it’s also a tale of lifelong bonds, letting go of the past and finding yourself along the way.

The movie is an adaptation of the 2011 South Korean Sunny, with the plot staying true to the source material, albeit with some alterations to better fit Indonesian audiences.

Vina (Marsha Timothy) is a housewife whose life is basically idyllic on the surface: a husband generous enough to send a Louis Vuitton purse in lieu of visiting her sick mother at the hospital and an attractive yet aloof daughter.

Yet Vina is left despondent in spite of her privilege and peering at some happy-go-lucky high schoolers reminds her of her own friends who grew apart over the years.

A chance encounter at the hospital sends Vina to her friend Kris (Susan Bachtiar), who is dying of terminal cancer with months to live. Soon, Vina sets out to reunite the gang — loudmouth Jessica (Indy Barends), fiery Gina (Widi Mulia), standoffish Suci and token effeminate guy Jojo (Baim Wong) — for one last hurrah before Kris passes away.

Back to school: The frequent jumps between 1995 and 2019 allow the audience to better see the characterization.

The 1990s setting is perhaps Bebas’ main selling point, and the movie certainly tries its best in bringing back even the smallest details in its flashback scenes: the beeps and boops of a Game Boy, loud nylon windbreakers that just went back in fashion recently and cameos from definitive figures like Tika Panggabean of Project Pop fame.

Even the characters’ names are a nod to the 1990s, in a way. A young Vina (Maizura) has difficulty fitting in at first because of her country mouse sensibilities, but mostly from her name: Vina Panduwinata, just like the singer. Her initiation into the eponymous Bebas gang comes from the shared background she has with Kris (Sheryl Sheinafia), whose full name is Krisdayanti.

Bebas’ presentation shifts back and forth between present-day and 1995 flashbacks, allowing the audience to see how the years have treated the characters and reflect on how they too, must have changed from their teen years.

Characterization is also a strong point in this regard due to the frequent jumps, and you might find yourself cheering at how some stayed true to themselves despite the horrors of adulthood, like in how the terminally ill Kris can still beat down high school delinquents with a flying kick and a strategic Birkin bag to the face.

Still, it’s not all theatrics, as others like the ambiguously gay Jojo seems relaxed when his apparent beard has left the room or throwaway lines like how Vina’s activist older brother has now turned into a money-grubbing government official.

First love: Nearly all of the plot points are left unchanged, with minor alterations to better capture Indonesian sensibilities.

A far cry from the idealized nostalgia of others, Bebas revels in a portrait of humanity in its purest form: Happiness is not always a given once you’ve outgrown your uniform.

Plot-wise, the movie’s adherence to the source material is readily apparent if you’ve seen Sunny. Scenes are remade nearly frame-per-frame in some parts, but to compare the two directly would be missing the point.

Rather, the message is the central tenet of the story. Bebas adapted a Korean tale that is ultimately universal in its theme and infused it with all the 1990s Indonesian memorabilia you can ever remember to make a point about how you should live your life to the fullest.

Is it successful? If you look past the nostalgia-driven shtick, you’ll see that it is a very touching tale indeed. As a bonus, you’ll get some laughs at the teenage antics you might have done yourself in the past or probably sing along to the delightfully nostalgic soundtrack.

Perhaps nostalgia isn’t a coping mechanism after all; you might get a life lesson or two along the way if you so desire.

— Photos courtesy of Miles Films

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