The phenomenon of Garin

Lei Hua, Contributor, Jakarta

Membaca Film Garin (Reading Garin's Films); Team of Editors: Philip Cheah, Taufik Rahzen, Ong Hari Wahyu and Tonny Trimansanto; Pustaka Pelajar, March 2002; 208 pp

Garin Nugroho is an extraordinary phenomenon in Indonesia's film world. He emerged with his first full-length feature film, Cinta dalam Sepotong Roti (Love on a Piece of Bread) in 1991, when Indonesia's film world was already at its ebb.

He made this film against all the conventions of the period. He was not a member of the government-sanctioned Association of Film and TV Workers (KFT), an organization that was authorized to baptize a new film maker. Against all the long bureaucratic requirements set by the then ministry of information, Garin established his name with his first full-length feature film. This first film was named the best film in 1991/1992 Indonesian Film Festival.

Then, quite regularly, he made more films and earned more awards, both at home and abroad. Yet, there are frequent complaints that his films are not easy to understand. It is to help people understand Garin's films better that this book has been published.

It is a collection of essays by two Indonesians and six foreigners, all well-versed in films as a means of communications in a modern world, viewed from a modernist or sometimes post- modernist perspective.

Seno Gumira Adjidarma, one of the contributors to this collection and also a critical observer of Indonesian films, believes that Garin has its own narrative style which is strange to most Indonesian viewers. This means that Garin has his own way of telling a story in his film. A good film is one that can win a prize in a film festival, an indication that it is understood by film critics, and at the same time make the cinemas at home packed with viewers, a sure sign that it is well accepted by the domestic audience.

In the case of Garin, his films have won prizes in various festivals but have also made people knit their brows. It means that his way of telling a story in his films is not popular among lay viewers. Then there must be a regular communication between Garin's films and his audience. In any event, a film presents the film maker's interpretation of life.

Garin's style of narration may be an uncommon one but over time, if the audience is exposed to more of his films and more explanations are made about the films, the audience will not find these films strange anymore because they have tried to view life as Garin the film maker does.

The book also traces Garin's early life and how he got exposed to art in general. He went to an Islamic elementary school but continued his studies in Catholic secondary schools. His father published books in Javanese but had a library lending books by various writers from Sukarno to William Saroyan. Garin, therefore, was exposed to both Javanese and non-Javanese literature.

In his childhood, Indonesia's film world was at its heyday but when he made his first full-length feature film, local film world was its ebb. Contrasting situations, therefore, have shaped Garin's life and his view of life. His films, therefore, show these paradoxes when compared with the time setting of their creation.

When Soeharto emphasized uniformity in thought, Garin went forward with his films that in a way champion individual values. When other films makers needed the blessings of certain government officials to get into international film festivals, Garin went ahead by himself and won prizes from international festivals. In short, Garin offers an alternative to what is considered the mainstream.

Reading the articles in this collection will open up our horizons so that we can see Garin's film not in the light of prevailing conventions but in the perspective of Garin himself as a film maker. When you get more insight and more interpretation about an object, you will understand it better. When you can understand it better, you can enjoy it better. This is the role played by this book. It enlightens the readers about the presence of alternative films and prepares them to understand these alternative films.

A film is to be seen, not to be read. However much you read about a film, you will never understand it until you see it. If you complain that Garin's films are difficult to understand, read this book first. It will tell you virtually all aspects of his films. Then see the films. You will find that the better you understand the person -- through your reading -- the better the films will communicate with you. So, Garin's films, like any other films on earth, are a matter of interpretation.

Your interpretation will hit home if you have a good understanding of the films. To get this understanding, you must read what critics say about the film. You may agree or disagree, but you know your position and are ready to make your own interpretation. In short, understand Garin better and you will understand his films better too. The book is indeed published for this purpose.