Reality hits screen with R&R dream

Sunday, February 05, 2006
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When was the last time you watched an Indonesian film and still talked about it for hours, or even days afterwards -- and not because the lame dialog, dim-witted storyline and absurd plot (paging Sembilan Naga and Garasi) left you so traumatized that you wished you could reclaim those two hours and had never watched the film in question.

No -- but because the film is so real, so honest, so true to itself, so high-spirited and so hilarious at the same time.

Enter Realita, Cinta dan Rock 'n Roll (Reality, love and rock 'n' roll).
The title may sound dead pretentious. The premise also invites eye rolling and head scratching: Two angst-ridden boys, rebels at school and at home, bump into harsh reality as one turns out to be adopted while the other turns out to have a transsexual father -- all while caught in a love triangle.

Judging from the disasters produced in the screenwriting department from which too many local movies have suffered, it has seemed that there is no way that a local filmmaker could make a good film out of such material.

Director Upi's past productions also seemed to indicate this. She wrote and directed 30 Hari Mencari Cinta (30 days seeking love) and wrote Lovely Luna, which were among the endless list of crappy teen flicks that have inundated movie theaters in recent years.

But boy, I've never been so happy for being proven wrong and for prejudging something.

A few directors have made an attempt to make a coming-of-age film but failed miserably, portraying teenagers as either too dumb to live or too wise and mushy to be real.

Only Realita has come up with a true-to-life depiction of teen boys, complete with their angst, stupidity, anxiety and silliness -- perhaps amazingly, as the writer/director does not have any testosterone to be able to understand a boy's world, never mind speaking their lingo.

Upi has managed to come up with a great script that succeeds in turning the cringe-inducing premise into a believable and enjoyable story.

The characters are well developed, and theatrical characters -- like a transsexual father and a New Age-obsessed mother with her hippie boyfriend -- enriched the film instead of impairing it.

The dialog is natural and funny, although there are moments when it slips into a soap opera cliche, along with some scenes. The story also drags a little in the middle, but the script is solid overall.

Occasionally, the small budget also lets Upi down, particularly in terms of poor sound quality and blurry camerawork. Seems like the production budget to make this movie came from the wrong hands.

But as a whole, the film is a delight to watch. Its flaws are also compensated by the two young and barely experienced actors, Herjunot and Vino. They really shine in their roles as two silly boys who actually have good hearts.

Meanwhile, their aspiring to become rock stars but not really having the skill will just crack you up. The chemistry and friendship between the laed actors are strong and touching without being sentimental.

Newcomer Nadine Chandrawinata, also Miss Indonesia 2005, is not disappointing either as a troubled teenage girl. And after his good comeback in 2005's Janji Joni (Joni's promise) as a chatty taxi driver, former action star Barry Prima again delivers an excellent performance as the transsexual father.

Realita really compensates for the recent poor fare -- some of which were from celebrated filmmakers.

Thanks to Upi, we can regain our hope in the local film industry -- let's just hope Upi does not get into the hype. *** (out of ***)

Labels: Film, review

Posted by hera at Sunday, February 5, 2006 9:01 PM | Permalinks