JP/18/BANYU

JP/18/BANYU
I prefer second title if possible... thnks
Cinematic chemistry brews a heady concoction in `Banyu Biru'

Cinematic chemistry brews groundbreaking genre in Indonesian film

Paul F. Agusta
Contributor/pfa0109@yahoo.com

Take one talented music video director with a simple yet unusual
story idea, add in two of Indonesia's most innovative
screenwriters, a no-holds-barred cinematographer, along with a
thematically adventurous producer, and you get Banyu Biru, which
was premiering in theaters nationwide on Thursday.

Teddy Soeriatmadja, Prima Rusdi, Rayya Makarim, Faozan Rizal
and Shanty Harmayn put their heads and their considerable talents
together to create a delightfully layered film in a style that
blurs but does not sunder the lines dividing the genres of drama,
comedy and fantasy.

"I knew what I wanted visually, I knew how I wanted the
characters to say their lines, I knew how they wanted to move, I
knew what the color of the film was going to be like. I always
knew how I wanted to shoot it," Teddy told The Jakarta Post
during a recent discussion of their newly finished film with
Prima Rusdi. Rayya Makarim could not join the interview as she is
currently in England continuing her studies.

"It all started with an incomplete script. It was called Dream
with Fish. I started writing that in 1992 when I was still
studying. Then one day after a film premier, Shanty (Harmayn)
came up to me and said "Let's work on something together", so I
gave her like five or six synopses and she called me two days
later ... and said she wanted to do this one, she wanted to do
Dream with Fish," Teddy explained.

Because the script was raw, Shanty and Teddy brought in Prima
and Rayya to write the script and complete the film with the
essence of the initial script.

"It took about six drafts. It was interesting -- The story was
a little bit out there at first, and Shanty wanted to make it a
little more -- it was a lot darker than the way it is now," Prima
said.

"I just wanted to write about how someone who's dying and who
decides to change -- the course of his life," Teddy said. "But it
became -- with more colorful characters created by the writers --
as light as possible."

"Shanty, as the producer, felt that the film had to be -- a
little more digestible for an Indonesian audience," Teddy added.

"We finished the last draft in 2003. It took us quite long, a
year and a half. But it didn't feel that long because there were
so many people involved and we had so much fun doing it," Prima
commented.

The film, which was finally titled Banyu Biru eventually
evolved into a surreal comedy, which weaves fantasy with reality
and the pain of existence.

"The humor was, I would say," Prima paused, and Teddy
inserted, "always there."

I think the best part about it, to me anyway, since I was
fortunate enough to meet people like Prima, Rayya and Shanty,we
share the same sense of humor -- I think that was one of the
biggest plus points of the writing process," Teddy explained
enthusiastically.

To bring this story about a young man's journey toward making
peace with his father to life on screen, Teddy had a long wish
list of seasoned actors, whom he was fortunate enough to bring on
board. The film features stellar Indonesian performers of several
generations, including Slamet Rahardjo, Rima Melati, Didi Petet,
and Butet Kertaradjasa, as well as the younger stars Tora Sudiro,
Dian Sastrowardoyo and Ladya Cheryl, and fashion designer Oscar
Lawalatta, who steals the show in a stunning depiction of a long-
lost friend.

"He always knew who he wanted to work with. For some
characters, there were, like, no fallbacks. It had to be them or
else. It was quite scary," Prima laughed.

To capture the visual style he envisioned for the film, Teddy
enlisted the help of maverick cinematographer and internationally
renowned experimental filmmaker Faozan Rizal, who is better known
as Pao.

"Pao is one of those crazy cinematographers who would dare to
do many weird things. I needed someone like that for this film.
He was perfect for it," Teddy enthused.

"We needed that naughtiness in a cameraman, and he delivered
the goods," Teddy said.

Banyu Biru, screened in major cities, is subtitled in English
at Plaza Senayan, Jakarta, to allow access by a larger, wider
audience. It is a new kind of Indonesian film, born of serious
and dedicated collaboration among massively gifted film
professionals.

Although it bends genres and almost defies description, Banyu
Biru should be readily accessible to a mass audience, as well as
satisfying to even the most discriminating of cinema
connoisseurs, simply because it works on so many levels.

It is a deftly layered piece of filmmaking that enriches with
the first viewing, but entices the viewer to return over and over
to savor the flavors they may have missed.

"I hope that people will like to see this again and again
because it gives you a different impact every time," Prima
commented.

"It better be watched repeatedly," Teddy concluded, laughing.