Wednesday, 3 March
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium
Indonesia, 2008 (114 min)
Indonesian, Arabic with English subtitles
Dir: Nurman Hakim
Cast: Nicholas Saputra, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Yoga Bagus Satatagama, Yoga Pratama, Brohisman, Doubleh Zulkanean, Jajang C. Noer, Butet Kartaredjasa.
Living in a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in central Java, inseparable friends Huda (Nicholas Saputra), Syahid (Yoga Bagus Satatagama) and Rian (Yoga Pratama) are receiving mixed messages from instructors. Moderate headmaster Kyai Wahib (Brohisman) believes Jews and Christians should not be viewed as enemies, while Ustadz (Doubleh Zulkanean) stops just short of actively recruiting soldiers for the holy war.
Huda and Rian are less concerned with religious matters. A sensitive boy who wants only to find his missing mother in Jakarta, Huda is attracted to Dona Satelit (Sastrowardoyo), the alluring vocalist in a touring dangdut combo. Offering to help Huda, the girl asks for expenses that first appear to be going into her own pocket.
For his part, Rian dreams of honoring his late father by following his footsteps into the film and video business. In heartwarming scenes, he finds a teacher and father figure in Toha (Butet Kartaredjasa), a traveling movie exhibitor camped at the same fairground as Dona Satelit.
With gentle humor and a strong feel for the excitement and trepidation that accompany entry into adulthood…threads are neatly wrapped up in the film’s bittersweet epilogue. -Richard Kuipers, Variety
Co-sponsored by Muslim Societies in Asia
Official Movie Site | Film.com Page | Thoughts on Film Review | Download Poster
PDF 
stream...
