Garin hopes of lucky number four
By Yenni Kwok
JAKARTA (JP): Garin Nugroho is both worried and hopeful.
"People say four is the death number," said the young filmmaker. "But, I believe that it also signifies births and revivals."
He is suddenly obsessed with the number as he will soon work on the production of Daun di Atas Bantal (Leaf on a Pillow), his fourth film.
Mere Oriental supersitition? As a highly-acclaimed director, Garin shoulders the burden that Daun should be better than his previous award-winning films.
As anxious as he is, Garin, 36, has good reason for confidence. The country's most respected dramatic actress, Christine Hakim, is backing his movie, both in front and behind the camera. She will be both the leading actress and producer of Daun.
"At first, I did not want to act in the film," Christine said. "I wanted to concentrate on being a producer." She changed her mind at her friends' persuasion.
Daun marks the comeback of the 40-year-old actress in Indonesia's film industry after an almost decade-long absence. Christine's last lead role was in Tjoet Nya' Dhien (1986-1988). For her portrayal of the Acehnese heroine, she took the 6th Citra Award, the nation's highest film achievement award, as best actress in 1988
She then disappeared from the local film scene.
Meanwhile, the industry went downhill in both overall quality and quantity. In 1970s, during the heyday of Indonesian films, an average 100 films were produced annually. The annual figure the last three years was between 20-30 movies. Almost all of these were soft-porn, B-grade schlock.
During this depressing period, Garin emerged. His first movie, Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti (Love in a Slice of Bread, 1989) won the Citra Award for the best picture in 1991. His subsequent Surat Untuk Bidadari (Letter to an Angel, 1990) and Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang (... And the Moon Dances, 1995) received international recognition and awards.
Unfortunately, appreciation in his homeland is not as forthcoming. Several local film critics have criticized his movies for being too cryptic. Only Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti was screened in public movie theaters. The other films were derided as "too artsy" and "made for festivals".
In other words, the films were believed to lack general public appeal. In reality, they attracted movie-goers in limited campus screenings.
Will Christine's appearance in Daun help sell the movie?
"My name and Garin's are an asset. We can be a pre-sale attraction," Christine acknowledged.
That applies to international audiences, too. Like Garin, Christine is known abroad. She had a role in a Japanese film, Nemuro Otoko (A Man of Sleep, 1995), directed by Kohei Oguri. She also acted in a Dutch production, Tropic of Emerald, directed by Orlow Sounke last year.
Mother
In Daun, she plays Asih, a street vendor in Yogyakarta who becomes a surrogate mother to street children Kancil, Topo and Punk.
Yogyakarta, street children and even use of the name Kancil sounds strikingly similar to Garin's controversial documentary, Dongeng Kancil Tentang Kemerdekaan (Kancil's Tale of Freedom).
Kancil, who is portrayed in the documentary, will also take part in the feature film, along with other street children and several professional actors and actresses.
After Dongeng Kancil, Garin wanted to make its fictional version, he said. It was Christine who first approached him to collaborate on the film.
"She challenged me to combine documentary and fiction, to mix the poetic and realistic elements," Garin told The Jakarta Post.
Also titled Puisi yang tak Terkuburkan (the Unburied Poetry), Daun was loosely based on a real tragedy. Several years ago, several street children were enrolled in insurance schemes and later murdered for the insurance money.
Like the documentary, the feature film is set to be an eye- opener on these children's rough lives. Left to their own devices, their actions sometimes defy common moral guidelines. Yet, they still long for motherly love and care.
Usually, a controversially-themed movie would find difficulty in gaining financial backers. But, thanks to Christine's high- profile name and lobbying skills, this isn't the case for Daun.
With a budget of Rp 600-700 million (US$ 240,000-$280,000), Garin and Christine will start shooting early this month. It is scheduled to finish in November or December.
As a producer and film movie veteran, Christine seems to know all too well the importance of positive media attention and the government's blessing. She organized a press conference, supplying journalists with information and free merchandise.
She also met with Minister of Information Hartono, who later showed up at the pre-production dinner along with Rosihan Anwar and other film figures.
"Garin never had anything like this," whispered one of his assistants about the event. "We normally invited people after the film was done."
Explanation, perhaps, of the sparse attention to his films.
Garin himself is optimistic that the dark, provocative of Daun storyline will not chill people here.
"It is time for a new openness," he said.