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'A Perfect Fit': Netflix's clichéd Indonesian rom-com may be just what we need
The makers of the latest Indonesian-language Netflix original had a good intention to explore female empowerment, but relies too much on anachronistic clichés and stereotypes, and yet still presents the comforts of a formulaic, feel-good rom-com.
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tarVision Plus’ A Perfect Fit falls short in its intention to promote female empowerment and ends up as yet another sugary love story that emphasizes style over substance. Then again, perhaps this is just the kind of “comfort food” that we all need right now.
The 112-minute film follows the story of a young Balinese woman named Saski (Nadya Arina), who is engaged to Deni (Giorgino Abraham), an arrogant and domineering man but someone her family feels would make a perfect life partner. Then a chance encounter between Saski and a modest and handsome shoemaker named Rio (Refal Hady) turns her life upside down.
Saski is torn between wanting to follow her heart and her desire to respect her family’s wishes as her culture dictates.
Deni’s family is higher than hers in the Balinese caste system, which is why Saski’s mother (Ayu Laksmi) wants him as her future son-in-law. Saski also feels that her family owes Deni’s family, as they paid for her ailing mother’s medical bills.
When Saski meets Rio, she is immediately attracted to him. Rio is the polar opposite of Deni, which prompts Saski to reflect on her life and her choices.
Written by award-winning veteran filmmaker Garin Nugroho and directed by Hadrah Daeng Ratu, A Perfect Fit uses the Balinese setting and cultural traditions to spice up the story. At a virtual press conference held on July 15, Hardah said the shoes that Rio works with each day are a metaphor for love, representing two hearts that match each other.
Consequently, A Perfect Fit comes off as just another romantic comedy that dabbles with all the possible clichés. The central “shoe” metaphor could have been a stronger device, but it never goes beyond the basic idea of two objects that fit together as a pair.
Two other creative works come to mind as regards the use of shoes as a more complex symbolism for relationships.
Based on Jennifer Weiner’s 2002 same-name novel, In Her Shoes (2010) starring Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz tells a story of two sisters who are exact opposites with only one thing in common: their shoe size. Their conflicting personality traits and shared family trauma use the analogy to show a more layered perspective on human relationships.
Written and performed by Indonesian singer Tulus, the hit song Sepatu (Shoes) uses the metaphor to show how even partners in a seemingly “perfect” relationship are sometimes out of touch with each other, with the gap growing so in the end, they may not even be together anymore.
In Her Shoes and Sepatu both use shoes as a metaphorical device to go beyond the formula of two lovebirds who are meant to be together.
This simplistic echoing of other pop culture works extends the characterizations. The fortune-teller Ibu Hardah (yes, the same name as the director’s), portrayed by screen legend Christine Hakim, is more than reminiscent of Balinese healer Wayan in 2010’s Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts.
Female empowerment?
Hadrah Daeng Ratu shared at the press conference that she was “excited” to include elements of female empowerment in the movie.
This is a bold move, considering that women are often treated as less important than men in Bali’s patriarchal society.
“Saski has the right to make a decision about her own life,” the female director stressed.
The idea of empowerment does exist in the film, but is drowned out by a predictable narrative.
One-dimensional characters, in particular Deni, written as a spoiled, abusive and borderline psychopathic brat, offer no layers to dig into.
A Perfect Fit also seems unable to refrain from homophobic stereotyping, some of which are even astounding in the context of today’s culture. In one scene, Rio comically expresses gratitude that Saski was the one who performed CPR on him instead of the taxi driver. There is also a male fashion designer character (Dave Hendrik) who is portrayed as a flamboyant, over-the-top “queen”.
Indonesian films have a long history of using effeminate men as the punch line of a joke, and A Perfect Fit is a perfect example of how this practice prevails to this day.
Garin told the same press conference that the filmmakers wanted to make a movie for Netflix that specifically targeted the streaming service’s audience.
But do they know their audience?
A good number of Indonesian viewers turn to Netflix because they want to watch films with a more progressive (and yes, liberal) lean. Netflix is where people can watch Pose, the critically acclaimed American drama TV series about the minority LGBTQ ball culture in 1980s-90s New York City. Netflix is where people can watch diverse representation without it being censored under orders from Indonesia’s Film Censorship Institute (LSF).
While A Perfect Fit doesn’t need to wave rainbow flags, its blatant use of homophobic stereotypes seems out of place and time. There are also a good many ideas that seem to have been left underexplored and buried under hackneyed narrative decisions.
Still, this Cinderella-esque rom-com is perhaps the kind of escape Indonesians need from the ever-bleak living nightmare of the pandemic.
A Perfect Fit
- 112 minutes, released on July 15, 2021
- A StarVision Plus production in Indonesian, distributed by Netflix
- Directed by Hadrah Daeng Ratu, written by Garin Nugroho
- Starring Nadya Arina, Refal Hady, Giorgino Abraham
