Latest teen flick comes light 'n' frothy

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.