Vague story clouds 'Pasir Berbisik'

By Hera Diani

Pasir Berbisik, **1/2 out of four stars; Drama, 106 minutes ; Starring Christine Hakim, Slamet Rahardjo, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Didi Petet, Desi Fitri, Drs. Purnomo (Mang Udel), Karlina Inawati Directed by Nan T. Achnas; A joined production of Salto Production, Camilla Internusa Film, Christine Hakim Film and NHK (The Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

JAKARTA (JP): A couple years ago, a writer wrote a review on Indonesian films in one of the country's leading newspapers, panning the new filmmakers for depicting "artist egocentrism".

The writer also pointed out that their films reached a limited audience when it was actually the filmmakers who failed to make it a more enjoyable and understandable film.

What the writer said in the article crossed my mind after watching Pasir Berbisik (Whispering Sand), the latest release from the local film industry.

Having another Indonesian film playing in the theater is, of course, a relief, considering the slow revival of the country's film industry.

Unfortunately, the very same mistake noted by the writer is again repeated by this film's creator.

Pasir Berbisik, which is scheduled to hit the theaters this Friday, continues in the tradition of director Garin Nugroho with great scenes shot in exotic locations and little dialog.

The film was shot last year at Parang Kusumo beach in Central Java and in a deserted area of Mount Bromo in East Java.

The story centers on the lives of a mother, Berlian (Christine) -- a jamu herbal drink vendor and an assistant to a traditional midwife, and her teenage daughter Daya (Dian).

Daya's father, a traveling medicine peddler named Agus (Slamet), left them when she was young, leaving her with a constant longing for a father figure.

One day, their village is burned down to the ground (why? who did it?), forcing Berlian and Daya to move to another village in a deserted area.

There, Daya becomes close friends with Sukma (Desi) and eventually meets her father, who returns to the family.

Soon, Daya's image of her adventurous and brave father is shattered when Agus sells her to an evil merchant, Suwito (Didi).

With a production cost of about Rp 3 billion (US$333,333), the film has some beautiful shots, thanks to its editing process by Sentot Sahid and the post production stage being done at Atlab in Sydney, where Hollywood movies like The Matrix, Mission Impossible II and Moulin Rouge were also processed.

Since most of the actors are top notch, they give the usual great performance. Even Diah, a newcomer, is not disappointing (except for forgetting to put on a Javanese accent, which sounds strange).

These great shots, however, fail to come together to tell a great story, and there is a lack of emotional punch throughout the entire film.

Berlian, who is supposed to be an overprotective and stubborn mother according to the film's synopsis, does not appear to be that stubborn in the film. The mystical world under the sand, where Berlian buried fetuses of aborted babies, also failed to be captured.

Some characters and situations are also left unexplained due to the unclear time period the movie was set in and its limited dialog.

Rayya Makarim, who wrote the script along with director Nan, said the story's concept about the location was from the beginning set in never-never land, thus a timetable was not crucial. Just like when the village was burned down, it could happen anywhere at anytime.

As for the sparse dialog, Nan said that was deliberate. "There has to be some space for the audience to interpret it. A film doesn't have to give all of it away to its audience," she said recently during the film's launch.

Still, giving the audience space to interpret does not mean making them completely lost, which is exactly what this film does.

The crew and the cast clearly implied that they did not want to make a typical Indonesian or Hollywood-style movie. Well, although selling out is certainly not an option, even the most independent foreign films stick to the most basic standard of film-making, that is, to tell a story.

While the spirit to make a film in the middle of the crisis has to be taken into account, it is not right to blame the audience for disrespecting one's hard work and only being used to easy-to-digest movies. Simply put, it is accusing the audience of not being smart enough.

In reality, there are dozens of smart moviegoers out there who deserve better entertainment that is intellectually stimulating than what is delivered by a so-called art movie.