Documentary shows RI on and off the screen

Documentary shows RI on and off the screen

Paul F. Agusta, Contributor, Jakarta

It could simply have been an ordinary behind-the-scenes
documentary on the making of a feature film.

You know, the kind they slip in as a neat special feature on
DVDs. It could have, if only it had not been directed by maverick
Malaysian filmmaker Amir Muhammad.

In 2004, this Malaysian, known for his award winning semi-
documentary The Big Durian (2003), was given the opportunity to
come to Jakarta and join the predominantly Indonesian cast and
crew to record the filmmaking process of Riri Riza's ambitious
biopic of a 1960s student activist, Gie (2005).

He did just that. Serendipitously enough, Indonesia's first-
ever direct presidential elections were happening around the same
time.

So, instead of the typical promotional tool featuring actors
and crew going on and on about how great and inspiring their
filmmaking process was, in the hands of Muhammad what we got was
The Year of Living Vicariously (2004), a powerful sociopolitical
documentary that has not only managed to capture the nation's
mood at the time of the elections, but is also a film that is
successful in providing a parallel view of the shared history of
Malaysia and Indonesia during the turbulent period of nation-
building in our region from the 1940's until now.

Using a split screen for the most part, Muhammad cleverly
underlined this parallel approach. This method also proved to be
useful in the interview portions of the film.

Acting as the interviewer, Muhammad was able to get the film's
cast and crew to candidly convey their thoughts and opinions on
Indonesian politics and on what they believed to be true or false
about their nation's garbled history.

On one half of the screen, we see the subject answering the
question, while on the other we see random images that support
the subject's statements, or, as on several occasions, images
that completely refute them.

This stylistic approach can be appreciated as an important
tool in Muhammad's method of storytelling.

The points of focus he is trying to convey are sharpened by
not only this visual style, but also by his relaxed method of
interviewing that simply lets the subject express thoughts and
opinions comfortably, even if that means occasionally straying
from the central train of thought.

Among many of the interesting asides, are several parts of the
film in which Muhammad has subjects tell him about their favorite
local folklore and fairytales.

With The Year of Living Vicariously, Muhammad shows you
Indonesians from many different walks of life and political
perspectives: Indonesians who are desperate to see change knowing
that there are obstacles aplenty, and those who long for the old
days because they seem to have been so much simpler.

You also see Indonesians who don't really care about politics
and simply want to get on with their lives and make a decent
living, as well as those who have given up, and those with an
undying faith that the spirit of this country's people will
prevail above all.

In short, Mr. Muhammad shows through this film that we
Indonesians may not have much else, but we have heart, and a
strong, undying spirit.

All in all, this is definitely a film worth watching -- even
if documentaries are not exactly your cup of tea -- if only for
nothing more than the insightful, thoughtful and moving view of
how Indonesians see themselves within the global scheme of
things.

The film is scheduled to be screened on Dec. 17 at Teater Kecil.