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.