2004: a year of mediocrity for local films

Joko Anwar, Contributor/Jakarta

After a slow start and mediocre releases, 2004 proved to be an eventful year for Indonesian films.

An ulema successfully managed to get a film banned; a teen flick almost as long as Doctor Zhivago was released; and a big film awards festival was criticized by its winners. Who says we aren't celebrating?

The 2004 local film scene opened unpromisingly in February with the chick flick 30 Hari Mencari Cinta (Looking for Love in 30 days), an often funny movie that bogged down due to miscasting.

Also in February, the first Indonesian screwball comedy titled Kwaliteit 2, directed by 23 year-old Dennis Adhiswara, who also co-produced, was released. Intended as a homage to B-movies, the movie could not escape its true self as a prankster. It does, however, showcase the young director's talent for comedy.

A horror movie titled Di Sini Ada Setan (There's a Ghost Here) was released shortly after. The movie, based on a TV series of the same name, was actually a feature-length episode of the show. It was shot on video with production values no higher than that normally seen on TV.

Blatant exploitation

The silent competition between real filmmakers and profiteers continued in 2004, with the latter realizing success more often than the former.

While filmmakers continue to endeavor to make quality films, some producers have often blatantly tried to milk cash from their clueless audiences.

The most shameless of act of commercial exploitation was surely the release of the extended version of Eiffel ... I'm in Love, a box-office hit directed by veteran director Nasri Cheppy, previously screened in 2003.

While the original version of this teen flick was respectable and competent, the extended version, which was as long as The Lord of the Rings, was simply ridiculous. Had this trifle been as commercially successful as the original, the producers might well release an eight-hour version called Eiffel ... I'm in Love: The Rushes.

While veteran director Nasri has enjoyed a commercially successful comeback, certain other old-timers who have tried to do the same have only suffered embarrassment.

Kutunggu Kau di Sudut Semanggi (I'll Wait for You at the Corner of Semanggi Street), a movie directed by Lukmantoro D.S., based on the shooting deaths of several students at an ill-fated protest during the time of the Habibie administration, was as tragic as the events it tried to depict.

Two other movies, Tina Toon dan Lenong Bocah: The Movie and a local filmmaker's answer to The Fast and the Furious were also embarrassing and inept.

Most of the 21 titles released during 2004 were mediocre, easily forgotten movies, including the romantic comedy Tak Biasa (Out of the Ordinary) and a horror movie with the uncreative title, Ada Hantu di Sekolah (There's a Ghost in the School).

A campy rip-off of Silence of the Lambs titled Kanibal Sumanto, however, tickled bad-movie aficionados to the bone. It's so bad that it has been elevated to cult status.

Clerics and censorship

The year was also tainted by the banning of Buruan Cium Gue (Kiss Me Quick), a teen movie dealing with a youngster's first French kiss.

The protest against the movie started when celebrated pop ulema, AA Gym, condemned the movie for promoting premarital sex. According to this ulema, kissing is the first step toward sex. AA Gym later admitted that he had not seen the movie.

After a brief but wild media flurry, the movie was banned by the government.

While acknowledging that the movie, produced by TV mogul Raam Punjabi, was not exactly a quality specimen, local filmmakers stood up and condemned the authorities' decision to pull the movie from circulation.

The government did not budge, setting a very bad precedent that threatens the freedom of local filmmakers to explore new themes.

Those who have seen Buruan Cium Gue will agree that the movie, which tries to be American Pie Indonesia-style, is pretty harmless and that banning it was simply ridiculous.

Meanwhile, another movie tackling the subject of sex with the blatant title Virgin fortunately escaped condemnation by the clerics.

This bizarre, outrageously campy movie succeeded in becoming the most surprising hit of the year, with a run of more than five weeks at local theaters.

However, Virgin was banned by the provincial government of South Sulawesi for more than a week before finally being re- released after the film's producer took the local governor to actually view the film.

FFI heavily criticized

Local filmmakers' disappointment toward the government continued to show at the government-organized Indonesian Film Festival (FFI).

The poorly conceived awards night, which had been moribund for 12 years, showed the government's complete lack of appreciation for local filmmakers.

At the event, broadcast live nationwide by TV station Indosiar, key winners, including best cinematographer, editor and scriptwriters, accepted their awards off-air during commercial breaks.

Other winners who accepted their awards on-air, including producer Mira Lesmana and producer/director Nia Dinata, used their time to protest the organizer's ignorance of the vital elements of filmmaking.

In October, MTV Indonesia held the inaugural MTV Indonesia Awards. The hip, well-organized event promises to become the most prestigious film awards event in the country as it was clearly conducted by people who understand films and acknowledges the new breed of young filmmakers who are successfully reviving the local film industry.

Both events, by the way, awarded the gay-themed Arisan! (2003) as best film.

Two noteworthy releases

Only two notable movies were released in 2004. One of them was Mengejar Matahari (Chasing the Sun), directed by Rudy Sudjarwo.

The movie, which deals with friendship and a father-son relationship, has many flaws but was competently produced.

The other movie was Garin Nugroho's Rindu Kami Padamu (Our Longing for You), which is the most accessible and entertaining movie ever made by this well-known director.

It was shot using digital video in a specially built traditional market set, and was represented the best exploration of digital filmmaking by a local filmmaker thus far.

Despite the fact that the movie did not attract as much attention as it deserved, the heartwarming, poetic movie was easily the best local movie released in 2004.

With many movies currently in production, we can expect more releases next year.

And with more events being held to give due recognition to good movies, filmmakers will be gearing up to make more high- quality products.