This review contains mild spoilers.

Aside from 1988's Tjoet Nja' Dhien, it is difficult to name an Indonesian biopic that has stuck the landing. This is not because of a lack of trying, though.

Over the past two decades, local cinephiles have been graced by numerous big screen adaptations of some of the most notable figures in the country's history. Some of these efforts went so far as to clinch warm public reception and industry accolades, such as Gie (2005), Soegija (2012) and Habibie & Ainun (2013). Be that as it may, rarely has there been an Indonesian biopic that not only satiates audiences but also offers a broad scrutiny of its subject.

Fajar Bustomi, known chiefly for helming the box-office crowd-pleaser Dilan trilogy, serves up another addition to the biopic menu with Buya Hamka Vol. 1.

The first film of the planned trilogy details the life of the late Indonesian cleric, novelist, politician and philosopher Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, also known by his pen name Hamka, from Dutch colonial rule, through the Japanese military occupation and to the post-independence era. But how does Buya Hamka Vol. 1 stack up against previous Indonesian biopics?

One thing is certain: Falcon Pictures, the studio behind the film, has held nothing back in the acting department. Citra Award winner Vino G. Bastian (Radit dan Jani) portrays the titular icon with a cast that includes Citra nominee Laudya Cynthia Bella (Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah) and Citra winner Donny Damara (Lovely Man).

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