Christine felt her way in 'Nemuru Otoko'

By Edi Utama

TOKYO (JP): This interview took place in late May inside an apartment in the Honancho, Suginami-Ku district in Tokyo. It was the first interview given by Christine Hakim, winner of six Citra Awards as well as several international awards, to an Indonesian newspaper since she arrived in Japan in November last year.

Christine was in Japan for the filming of Nemuru Otoko (A Man of Sleep), in which she appears together with the noted South Korean actor An Son-gi and the Japanese actor Yakusho Koji.

This film by director Kohei Oguri, which cost 400 million yen to produce, is a serious project undertaken jointly with the Gunma Prefectural Government in the mountains of central Japan.

Shooting was begun during the winter (February) and was scheduled to be completed in June. The film is expected to be released in the autumn of this year, around October or November.

In this movie Christine plays the part of Tiah, a woman hailing from an unnamed "southern" country. The South Korean actor An Son-gi is Takuji, a robust man fated to become an invalid.

Nemuru Otoko, a monumental undertaking of the Gunma Prefectural Government, marks the fact that the prefecture's population has reached two million.

Question: To the Japanese film community you are no stranger. But how did you get involved in this project?

Answer: In July last year, I was in Australia. The 1994 Tokyo International Film Festival Committee called to ask me to once again serve as a member of the team of judges and I went directly to Japan.

Unlike what was usual, last year the festival was held in Kyoto because of the 1,200th anniversary of Kyoto as the capital city of ancient Japan. On that occasion I called Oguri-san just to say hello because we had known each other for quite some time. Every time I come to Japan I make it point to meet with Oguri and talk about films.

At that time Oguri said it was quite a coincidence, because he was planning to go to Jakarta to see me and, well, to ask me to take a part in Nemuru Otoko.

Q: You seem to enjoy playing in this film.

A: Yes, for two reasons. First, this was a difficult film, and second, I personally have a deep respect for Oguri because of his work, which is always considered to carry substantial intellectual weight.

This film was the result of international cooperation among Asian countries and the flow of the story feels quite natural. It is not like usual in films where foreign actors are involved: the actress marries the actor from the home country. End of story. This film actually does not tell a story, it just tries to depict life in Japanese society as it is at present. There is no climax, no conclusion.

This film cannot be understood by merely watching what the scenes present to us. Western films usually invite the watcher to analyze. Not this film. Nemuru Otoko must be appreciated through one's feelings.

The first time I read the scenario I tried to analyze it with my brain, and it was difficult. But when I used my feelings it was easier to grasp the atmosphere of the scenes. This is because Oguri tried to also render the role of nature, which has almost been forgotten. Modern man, having become dependent on technology, has forgotten nature's role. People have become fascinated by the glitter of lights and have forgotten how beautiful moonlight is.

This film also does not carry much dialog. The dialog is meager and brief. Yet the words that are spoken carry considerable meaning. In short, the film is poetic and surrealistic.

Q: You said this film was difficult. Where does the difficulty lie?

A: I think even the Japanese actors found the film difficult because of its poetic nature. Moreover, for me, the time to prepare was very short, only two months and that included the time to study Japanese. When we were making Tjoet Nya' Dien I had eight months to prepare, especially for the study of the character, the cultural environment and the social life in Aceh. In this film I had to live in a rural Japanese atmosphere, speak Japanese although it was not expected that I to be perfect because I was playing a foreign woman.

I had to adjust myself to life in a central Japanese rural environment which, although modern, still had a mountain village atmosphere. The shooting was done mainly in Nakajujo, Maebashi, about an hour's traveling distance by Shinkansen from Ueno Station in Tokyo.

Adjusting myself to the Acehnese environment in Indonesia was difficult enough. Now this was a foreign country. I had thought the most difficult film since I began my acting career with Cinta Pertama (First Love) in 1973, was Tjoet Nya' Dien. But the surrealist Nemuru Otoko proved to be even more difficult.

Q: Is there any other reason why you seem so close to Japan? Is it because funding in this country comes so easily?

A: No, no, no. It isn't that. I first came here in 1982 and since then I have been visiting here almost every year, either as part of a delegation, to be a judge in the Tokyo International Film Festivals in 1990 and 1994 and the Fukuoka Asia Film Festival in 1995, as a speaker at seminars, or for social visits at the invitation of the Japanese government. The Japanese know me quite well by now. I once gave a private interview to NHK TV. Some of my films have been shown here, either by NHK or by private television stations.

Everyone knows that Japan is a modern country with an advanced economy and an advanced technology. Through the Tokyo film festivals Japan wants to establish itself as a beacon for the Asian film industry. If the United States has its Oscars and Europe has its Cannes, the inclination in Japan is to create an Asian equivalent to those events in the Tokyo festivals.

I have since long envisaged close international cooperation in Asia involving the film industry. This region has the potential. Look at India's film industry, look at Hong Kong. This region has a huge population. The number of potential moviegoers is enormous.

Q: Next month Indonesia will be host to the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. How do see this event? And what are your hopes in view of the situation in the film industry in Indonesia?

A: Yes. I have to go home for a while because I have been asked to sit on the team of judges. It would seem rather unethical for me to comment since I will be one of the judges.

I am not entirely pessimistic about the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. But if we expect this event to have any impact on the growth of the film industry in this region, then I think we may be expecting a little too much too soon. This is true because the event seems to be merely something of a cocktail party, although this is, of course, useful for film workers in the Asia-Pacific region to communicate with each other and to keep in touch. The first time I attended the Asia-Pacific film festival was in 1976, but the situation hasn't changed.

We can observe the activity which exists in the South Korean film industry, with over 100 titles produced a year, and in Malaysia. Even from Iran, which outsiders say does not offer many opportunities, have come some beautiful films. I remember having seen an Iranian film called Bicycle which was shown during the Hawaii International Film Festival in 1989. It was a very beautiful film.

As for Indonesia, it seems too much to hope that this festival can change the state of the Indonesian film industry. This is because only the Indonesians themselves can alter the situation. More important than anything else, though, is the fact that when we are talking to outsiders we should remain united. The state of our film industry is an internal problem. This we must solve internally. Facing the world outside we should try to remain united.

Q: You have been abroad for quite a few months now. Before you went to Japan you were in Australia. Does this give you a chance to contemplate the situation in the Indonesian film industry, which has been growing more and more listless during the past decade?

A: To be quite frank, I have quite often shed a few tears over this. I miss the film world, my world. There is so much that we could do. In the 1970s our film industry was experiencing its heyday. Beautiful works came from the hands of Teguh Karya, Wim Umboh, Syumandjaya and others. Others also recognized this. Now people are asking why the Indonesian film industry has become stagnant. Where are the big names that should have emerged from that period.

Q: Given the present state of listlessness in the Indonesian film industry, what impact do you think the situation has. Who are the losers?

A: Films are works of art of strategic value. The Nazi Germans believed this, so it is not surprising that film were an important propaganda tool to arouse the patriotic sentiments of the German people at that time. In this era of development in Indonesia the film industry could assume a supporting role. Cynical remarks and criticism about quality will probably always be heard. But does that mean that all national films are bad and devoid of meaning? Our moviegoers are waiting to see a beautiful film made by their own people. This is a fact. Remember the long queues when Tjoet Nya' Dien was shown? Now, in the absence of domestically-made films, foreign films are flooding the market. We can look at the facts. Most of the imported films are not good. Not all of them are good. Aside from that, imported films obviously have no commitment whatsoever to the Indonesian nation. They don't give us anything or bring us any messages.

Indonesia is a great nation and films can fortify the cultural resilience of this great nation. This is all the more important in this age of the globalization of information in which the dissemination of information no longer knows any boundaries. Seen from this point of view alone, the losers are the Indonesians as a nation.

Q: What are the other losses?

A: The other loss is economic, of course. The more films that are imported, the more money flows out from Indonesia. Indonesia's potential as a market for films is great. Our own products should be reaping the benefits. Where can we best sell our films if not in our own country. Let's not dream of asking for a market in the countries of the West.

It's actually quite simple. I always like to compare the film industry with the garment industry in Indonesia. In the mid- 1980s, the Junior Minister for the Promotion of Domestic Products Ginanjar Kartasasmita encouraged young Indonesian designers to be more enterprising. Now, after 10 years, we can see the results. People no longer hesitate to buy garments created by Indonesian designers.

Q: In your 20-year career you have appeared in 22 films. You have won six Citra best-actress awards, three Asian Film Festival awards and in 1990 you won two tokens of merit in the arts, one from the Indonesian government and another from the French. What does all this mean to you?

A: During all that time I was merely performing my function as an Indonesian citizen who was active in the film industry. I do hope that whatever it is that I have done may be of benefit to my people. In the Indonesian film industry in its present state, I am like those who are trying to survive. And hopefully I will remain true to my world.

Now, for instance, I am playing in a Japanese film of quite a respectable scale. It seems that I am fortunate because I can do this while the Indonesian film industry is in its present state of listlessness. Still, in my heart I feel that would be ever more proud if I could play in a film made by my own people, although perhaps the shooting may be done elsewhere. I would be particularly proud if I could play in an Indonesian film and get recognition from abroad for it.

Q: You are one of the best actresses raised by the golden age of Indonesian films in the 1970s. What are the prospects of a regeneration for the future?

A: Regeneration implies nurturing. In a situation like the present, what kind of regeneration can one expect? Those who have the potential, or even those who have already won their credits, are no longer productive. Take me for an example. Since Tjoet Nya' Dien (1989) I haven't appeared in any films in Indonesia. In a condition in which the Indonesian film industry is not only listless but in coma, in which it is neither dead nor alive, what kind of cadre raising can one expect? The potential is actually truly great, whether one is referring to directors or actors. There is Nurul Arifin. There is Neno Warisman.

As for myself, when I look at myself in a flashback, I seem to have been very lucky, indeed. The first time I arrived on the scene I was asked by a serious director (Teguh Karya, Cinta Pertama) and I had the support of a film industry that was booming. That gave me an wonderful chance to improve my professionalism. I had many choices. I could choose good stories, I could choose good directors. I could improve the quality of my acting in those conditions.

In the present situation, what can one hope for? The situation is so bad that two national films have to be specially made because Indonesia is to be the host of the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. It would be rather odd if the host did not have any films of its own to show ... .

Q: Is the government's support not as expected?

A: What I am mentioning here are facts. If I am being candid it is not because of any pretensions of pushing the government, or in this case the Ministry of Information, which is responsible for supervising the film industry in Indonesia, into a corner.

If you ask me what the way out is from a situation such as the present, I can only say that the stated wish to boost the Indonesian film industry should be actually enacted, it should not be lip service only. Let's just do this first. As for concepts, we have had them for a long time. Any shortcomings can be corrected along the way. So, the most important thing is the will to do it. Let's take a look at ourselves and be honest. When we realize that the fault lies with ourselves, then let's correct it.

In the 1970s the government's support was good because we were in the first Five-Year Development Period and the development efforts covered all spheres of life, including films. At that time it was stipulated that any importer who imported five films should also produce one locally. This raised the production. When production is raised, the skills of the filmmakers will also be raised. Professionalism will increase.

And how to nurture the appreciation of moviegoers? At that time people in the lower ranks of society preferred Indian films, those in the middle ranks liked kung fu movies and people in the upper layers of society preferred American movies. Film festivals were held in the provinces to increase appreciation. Communication between moviegoers and film people became close. After 1985, however, the festivals were always held in Jakarta and this cut off communication.

Q: If there was anything that could help resurrect the Indonesian film industry, what would that be?

A: Please, improve the existing distribution system. Please stop the monopoly in film distribution. The existence of monopolies is not admitted, but the facts tell their own story. Give the Indonesian film industry a chance to grow.

Q: You and some of your colleagues, such as Slamet Rahardjo and Eros Djarot, often speak out sharply against the state of the Indonesian film industry. Are you appointing yourself as the spokesperson for film circles in Indonesia?

A: I think not. The Indonesian film industry counts many people. Each of them has his or her own voice, so I don't have the right to simply appoint myself as their spokesperson. Also, they may not like me to speak on their behalf, even though we share the same fate. We all have lost our medium of expression, which is the film industry.

In spite of that, the fact is that I do represent an Indonesian film personality. At the very least I am one of them. We, in the film circles, can do nothing against the negative campaign which is aimed at us. The information that is disseminated is imbalanced. As a consequence people are influenced and look at us from the negative side only and many of the positive aspects are overlooked.

Many Indonesian film personalities contributed to bringing the Indonesian film industry to the peak of its bloom during the mid- 1980s. This kind of positive aspect is overlooked, but people should also keep these things in mind. I know for certain that those personalities are trying to work as best they can, that they are trying to produce quality films as best they can amid all the constraints. Now they are making films for television because of the pressure of the circumstances.

So, because of this shared fate, because of the shared feelings, somehow I cannot separate myself from the voices that are being heard in the Indonesian film world when I am talking about Indonesian films.

Q: In Indonesia, films for television are booming. What is your comment?

A: That is very good because it provides an outlet for the creativity of actors and directors. What would happen if that creativity should die. Who would be the loser if not the Indonesian nation. It is imperative that, when the Indonesian film industry is in a coma, such an outlet should exist.