'Writing and acting not up to par'

After decades of hibernation, the Indonesian film industry has begun to show signs of life, led by a pack of young actors, directors and writers. In observance of National Film Day on March 30, The Jakarta Post asked residents for their views on local movies.

Verdi, 26, is a designer who lives with his parents in Mangga Besar, North Jakarta.

I have to admit that if I compare Indonesian films with Hollywood movies, there is still a huge difference. This is not only due to budgetary reasons, but also because the writing and acting here are not up to par.

The actors in Indonesian films are chosen based solely on their looks. Acting ability is of secondary concern, as long as they have a pretty face that can attract a crowd. Just being able to put on an accent will get you an acting award here.

I routinely watch Indonesian movies at theaters because they are cheaper than Hollywood movies. Some of them are good, especially the cinematography. All of them try to be poetic and some succeed, but the majority do not.

A couple of times I have felt that buying a ticket was not money well spent. There was a recent movie where I wanted to walk out of the theater halfway through. The story was so cheesy that I literally wanted to throw up. However, because I already paid I decided to stay put. After I saw the bad ending, I regretted my decision not to leave.

Rangga, 26, has worked for three years as a script editor for local television shows at a production house in Central Jakarta. He lives with his parents in Bintaro, South Jakarta.

It is great that we are seeing a renaissance in Indonesian movies. There is much better variety now than in past years, when crude comedies and horror flicks with scantily clad women were the only local movies in theaters.

The emergence of several new television stations has also helped usher in this revival. Actors and scriptwriters now can "train" on TV series, before graduating to movies. After all, being a movie star is much more glamorous than being a TV star.

However, for the most part, the quality of Indonesian films still pales in comparison to foreign movies, and even to Indonesian movies in the 1980s. The stories, editing and acting can still be improved.

What makes the business tough for producers is the fact that it is impossible to predict what audiences want. Horror movies, children's movies and art-house movies have all attracted big audiences. Some really good movies failed at the box office. However, a controversial storyline and an eye-catching title are usually enough to attract an audience.