'Cemeng 2005', N. Riantiarno's debut as a film director

'Cemeng 2005', N. Riantiarno's debut as a film director

By Marselli

JAKARTA (JP): Most Indonesian film directors began their
careers in theater. Take D. Djajakusuma, Teguh Karya, Slamet
Rahardjo, Putu Wijaya and the late Usmar Ismail. The latest to
join them is N. Riantiarno.

Riantiarno has a reputation as a successful dramatist and
leader of the group Teater Koma. Every time Teater Koma stages a
play, it draws a huge audience. With such plays as Opera Kecoa
and Suksesi, whose accusing tones are hard to ignore, Teater Koma
actually offers purification, a spiritual renewal.

This year, Riantiarno made his film debut with Cemeng 2005
(The Last Prima donna) and has yet to find a specific style show
the film world.

Cemeng is a traditional dance, typical of Cirebon, West Java,
which also happens to be Riantiarno's birthplace. It is usually
performed by one prima donna, a young male dancer as a fighter,
an old lady dancer, two clowns and one puppeteer and five gamelan
players. The art, which began in the 1950s, is very popular in
Cirebon and in its surroundings. Many groups flourished and
gained fame. But just as many vanished with the passing of time

Riantiarno deals with future problem -- in the year 2005 -- of
whether the art of cemeng is really on its last legs.

He explores the issue through a cemeng dance group established
by Nur Kelana (played by Sardono W. Kusumo). His wife,
Nurbandiyah, (played by Ratna Riantiarno) was once a prima donna.
Nur Kelana dies, however, not long after he forms the group. He
cannot witness his daughter, Nurkatonah, (played by Nur Anani),
become the new and brilliant prima donna. Meanwhile, Nurbandiyah,
after the death of her husband, marries Sukra (Didi Petet).

Nurkatonah's brilliance makes her mother jealous. The mother
becomes even more furious when Sukra becomes lustful for
Nurkatonah. The problem is that Nurkatonah is in fact Sukra's
child, born after her affair with Sukra.

The cemeng dance group of Nur Kelana, rife with family
scandal, is on the verge of extinction. The group's morals and
spirits disintegrate. Nurkatonah flees to Jakarta and Sukra goes
mad.

In Jakarta, Nurkatonah tries to pick up the pieces of her
life. She fails. She returns to Cirebon and tries to revive the
group. Together with Badri (Alex Komang), and other faithful
members of the group, the prima donna goes from village to
village to sing and dance, feeling poor and neglected.

Many sad stories can be told about traditional Indonesian arts
that have been crushed by the advance of time. Riantiarno's
story, however, is nothing more than a soap opera. It leaves out
the plight of the arts to focus on the tragedy of the prima
donna. In short, there is something missing.

An even more serious problem is found in the directing. On
stage, Riantiarno used a rambling style. In his first film,
however, he is staid and neglects visual effects. Although the
dances, for example, involve hundreds of dancers, they fail to
make a lively impression.

If in his stage plays Riantiarno offers purification and
spiritual renewal, with Cemeng 2005 he presents a very bleak
mood. The movie stands out only because it is sad, especially the
final episode when Nurkatonah dances on a garbage dump.

"I am not a pessimist, I am only being objective," said
Riantiarno about Cemeng 2005 which was subsidized by the National
Film Council. He added that he had poured all his ideas into the
film.

Riantiarno's first film has some promise, but one thing is for
sure, his speciality is back stage adroitly directing actors.