Latest teen flick comes light 'n' frothy

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ada Apa Dengan Cinta ** (out of ****); Teen drama, 112 minutes; Starring Dian Sastrowardoyo, Nicholas Saputra, Titi Kamal, Ladya Cheryl, Sissy Priscillia, Adinia Wirasti; Directed by Rudi Soedjarwo. Miles Productions; In Bahasa Indonesia.

Remember Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure)? Featuring child singer Sherina, there was nothing special about the plot of the film, which was about a little girl who tries to save her schoolmate from the bad guys.

There were also some holes in the plot and illogical scenes, and it was not the kind of film that the viewer would expect any deep moral lessons or high emotional punches. Well, it was a children's movie after all.

Nevertheless, the movie was still enjoyable, entertaining and the film's direction and camerawork also met the standard of decent filmmaking.

And so now, Petualangan's producer, Miles Productions, will release on Friday its latest effort, Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (What's Up With Love?), which keeps exactly to the same formula as its forerunner.

This film is quite a leap for director Rudi Soedjarwo, whose first two efforts, Bintang Jatuh (Falling Star, which also starred Dian) and Tragedi (Tragedy) were horrifyingly absurd teen flicks.

In Ada Apa, Sherina is now a grown-up Cinta (Dian), the typical miss popular in senior high school: pretty, rich, smart and nice.

Her comfortable, happy life orbits around her four girlfriends, the school magazine, guitar and poetry.

That is until love storms in, in the form of Rangga, a loner poet. Studying at the same school, they at first hate each other, which is exactly what happened in Petualangan.

Then, love grows between the two as Cinta finds him different from any of the other guys, while Rangga discovers that there is more to Cinta than just a trendy girl.

But the relationship divides Cinta and her friends, which climaxes when one of them commits suicide.

Feeling guilty, Cinta then breaks up with Rangga, who is set to move to the United States with his father. They eventually kiss and make up and Rangga promises to return.

You thought it would be some sort of tragic teen flick, huh? No way.

Yes, there is Alya (Ladya), the victim of her father's physical abuse. But her problem is only a side plot in the movie, so it hardly gives any emotional punch.

There is also a story about Rangga's family; how his mother left him and his father because the latter was a rebel during the New Order era and often received threats.

But those things are left, apparently deliberately, unexplored.

However, the dangling plotlines do not make this film unenjoyable. The young cast, most of them newcomers, are fresh, funny and able to maintain their characters until the end of the film.

Dian, who really should act better than her peers as it is her third film, after Bintang and Pasir Berbisik (Whispering Sand), only gives a mediocre performance, which makes her character less interesting than her co-stars.

The emergence of this film is fascinating, especially after years when all the local industry served up were soft-porn and slapstick flicks, but it is no longer the time to apply double standards or sympathy when rating our homegrown products. While Miles Productions is on the right path in producing an entertaining movie, we look forward to seeing movies with some depth rather than simply light entertainment, even if it superficially pleasing.