MAX HAVELAAR (1976)

Directed by: Fons Rademakers
Starring: Peter Faber, Sacha Bulthuis, Rutger Hauer, Krijn ter Braak, Adendu Soesilaningra, Rima Melati
Running time: 163 minutes

Unknown to many Indonesian, I stumble upon this gem. As always I am interested on how foreign filmmakers portray Indonesia. Just like when I saw The Year of Living Dangerously, I expect some new insight. Besides, this one is so rare, not so many people in Indonesia knows about this film.

Sadly this movie is not famous in Indonesia since it is being banned by the New Order regime at the time this movie is being released. Seeing from today's persepctive I don't understand what is so dangerous (or subversive) from this film. The New Order regime is too paranoid to let a film about a man's plight for human rights screened in Indonesia. However it finally got screened in the 80s.

Based on the book of the same title, the book itself is very famous in Indonesia and Holland. Written in 1859 by Eduard Douwes Dekker, under the alias 'Multatuli', it tells about the suffering of Indonesians under the Dutch rule, and also under the rule of small regents who 'enjoy' slaving their own people for their own enjoyment.

Max (Peter Faber) is an idealist. He landed in Nederlandsch Indie (now Indonesia) and tries to battle corruption by the government there while witnessing on how the people are living in dire situation, especially in Lebak, Banten area (located in the western part of West Java). Not only that, he also finds that the local regent whom the Dutch are cooperating with are also responsible for the maltreatment of the Indonesian. As an idealist, Max fought as hard as he can, facing resistance from the local regent and his fellow countryman.

With running time for almost three hours, it is not boring at all. The acting is great, although for some Indonesian who acted here, their dialogue is too stiff. If you watch it with full concentration you can recognized that Rutger Hauer was in this film, yes, he is the one in the Blade Runner. There is also the amazing Rima Melati, acted as one of the wife of previous Dutch ruler in Lebak, Banten.

In fact the production value is very good. It looks like an expensive production. The filmmaker even use the original Bogor palace for the set. What makes me wonder is, if the New Order regime despise this film so much, why do they let the filmmakers use the state palace at the first place?

The story of Max Havelaar is fictitious, but anyone who read historical books can find parallelism with facts that happened in 19th century Indonesia such as Cultivation System that lead into famine and abuse of power. The book itself is a legend and become a protest to the Dutch government for letting this happened in the colony.

Made by Dutch filmmakers and has some Indonesian language dialogue (also Indonesian actors and actresses) one can identify with the theme of this film; justice and equality. Indonesian who watch this can feel the suffering of Indonesian during the colonization and understood that freedom, in every sense, is something that has to be fought.

THE SILENCE (1963)

Original Title: Tystnaden

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, Birger Malmsten, Håkan Jahnberg
Run time: 96 minutes


Two women and a boy travel into a strange land. They share the same compartment. From the initial scene we can tell that they are in tense. Are they running from something? Or are they just some tourist? So this is the last of faith trilogy after Through A Glass Darkly and Winter Light. I feel like; Mission Accomplished.

One is Ester (Ingrid Thulin), who looks tense and tortured, then there's  Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), the younger one who is more vibrant than Ester. They were together with a boy; Johan (Jorgen Lindstrom). heir destination seems strange. It looks like a European country but with no distinct language or culture that we know off. It seems like a fictive country.

They stayed in a hotel where they must face their problems. Johan cannot understood the situation, Ester is getting more tortured and Anna is living her life. I didn't know what cause the sisters to seem to have siblings issue but their conflict is the one that drives the film.

The lonely Johan finds some refuge in making 'friendship' with an old waiter while wander aimlessly at the hotel's hallways. Does the whole story is an allegory/metaphor for something else? I read from Ebert's review that Anna is Body and  Ester is Mind (the sufferer). I still don't understand what Johan is. Is he just a child or representing innocence or hope?

Just like some of Bergman's film I have seen, the face and body language get more attention. The black and white emphasize the contrasting characters between these two woman character. I still have to connect this one with the other two faith trilogy movies. Does this one still question faith? I think this one is about how we are always conflicted inside our mind after we settle into some so called permanent worldview, which in this film represented by the strange country as the destination.

I am not a philosopher but I like this one too and I think, the trilogy is amazingly satisfying. It is not heavy with pretentious dialogue or artsy fartsy stuff, but manage to deliver the messages clearly.

WINTER LIGHT (1962)

Original Title: Nattvardsgästerna

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow, Gunnel Lindblom
Run time: 81 minutes

After seeing Through a Glass Darkly I am intrigued to watch this one. Especially since the critics seems to praise it and I myself wanted to finish the so called trilogy of faith by Bergman. So what silence it is actually? I still have to guess it, was it the silence of God or a man? Pastor Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Bjornstrand), who seem to have some  major doubts on his faith but unable to materialize it into words. The film start and ends abruptly as Tomas makes his sunday sermon.

Tomas must face another problem, the fisherman Jonas (Von Sydow) is very sad and kill himself and then there is Marta (Ingrid Thulin) who cares and loves the pastor. But Tomas doesn't know how to respond to such feelings, he even hurt Marta verbally. Tomas seems to have difficulties in helping others based on what he believed in. He even cannot help himself psychologically. He seem powerless in changing his own fate.

What cause it to happen? It does not being explained but one can easily guessed that perhaps faith has something to do with it or perhaps Tomas is just a plain stiff man.

Although it does not being addressed directly but it seems the whole film is about questioning the existence of God in a quiet way and also about pain. Pain of being a believer just like what Marta says; “If only we could feel safe and dare show each other kindness. If only we had some truth to believe in. If only we could believe.”

The acting is very satisfying and somehow I get the feeling of coldness and tension from this film. Coldness and stiffness since it only use small number of location. It lacks the visual awesomeness of Persona (1966) but I think from the trilogy, this is the strongest one after Through A Glass Darkly.

Overall the film really lived up to my expectations. It is not being too difficult to comprehend but has a very deep meaning and I loved how this film is being made in black and white, it makes the tension looks elegant.

AFTER THE CURFEW (1954)

Original Title: Lewat Djam Malam

Directed by: Usmar Ismail
Starring: AN Alcaff, Netty Herawati, Dhalia, Bambang Hermanto, Rd Ismail, Awaludin, Titien Sumarni, Aedy Moward, Astaman, A Hadi, Wahid Chan, S Taharnunu, Lukman Jusuf
Run Time: 101 min


A freedom fighter's self rediscovery after he realized that the world he used to fight for has finally fighting him back. Returning from the battlefield (the story set in the 1950, five years after Indonesia's independence and only several years after the revolutionary war with the Dutch colonial) Iskandar  (AN Alcaff), was chased by the military on the street. It seems he just break the curfew rule (the socio political background is; after the war most of the militias still have their weapons. Some of them use the weapons to commit crime. The crime rate in Bandung is reaching it's peak in the 50s so the government implement martial law in Bandung and Cimahi area to control the security. They also gave ultimatum for the remaining ex freedom fighters to hand the weapon or join the army). But Iskandar manages to arrived in the house of Norma (Netty Herawati) in Bandung.

Norma's father try to use his influence in the government to get Iskandar a job. But Iskandar cannot feel at ease in his job. It seems his past demons still haunt him wherever he go, a demon that later will be explained what it is. He quit the job after just one day and try to contact his other ex freedom figther. He met Gafar (Awaludin) who now rich and become a contractor for housing complex. Gafar is just busy with himself. He also met Gunawan (Rd Ismail), his ex commander who have grown to be an extreme pragmatist. Gunawan use his power to threat other people for his own fortune. Then he also met Puja (Bambang Hermanto) who now is only a pimp for a brothel where in the brothel Iskandar met Laila (Dhalia), a young and naive prostitute.

Soon Iskandar must face reality that Indonesia's independence comes with an expensive price; that in the end everyone only care for himself and he himself was left alone with his demons. In the end he has to make right and fight for what he believed in. This film has noir-ish feeling and as a black and white, shows the world is not as easy as black and white. It feels so Indonesian and sadly the most Indonesian movies under the New Order and Reformation regime are rarely address the moral ambiguities of human nature.

This is a remarkable film for Indonesian and it is an honor to be restored in it's black and white glory, thanks to Sinematek, Kineforum, Konfiden Foundation and The World Cinema Foundation with National Museum of Singapore to restore this film from it's original 35 mm print (the result is decent. Visual is good although some scenes are still having some visual noise. But the sound is good as ever) in L'Immagine Ritrovata Bologna, Italy.

The restoration process took almost a year and finally got premiered last May in World Classic Cinema in Cannes. This week it got a limited release in some cities in Indonesia.

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY (1961)

Original Title: Såsom i en spegel

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Harriett Andersson, Max von Sydow, Lars Passgard
Run time: 89 min

My first Bergman film was Persona and it blows me away. Although I had to think harder to understood what the meaning of it, at least I made it. So I began to read more about this particular Swedish director and my choice for the third film by Bergman is this one (the second is The Seventh Seal but I need to collect more mojo to write it down).

From what I read this film is one of the so called  "Man-God trilogy" or "the Silence trilogy" or "the Dark/Faith trilogy" (three films: Through a glass darkly, Winter light, and The Silence) that deals with deep theological question.

From the outside it looks like that it is just another family drama. Karin (Harriet Andersson) is the daughter who suffers from schizophrenia. Her husband, Martin (Max von Sydow), loves her but feels powerless to help her. While her brother, Minus (Lars Passgard), seems to be lonely and wanting a deeper connection with his father, David (Gunnar Bjornstrand). David himself is an author who always away and seems to be disconnected with his family.

They are on vacation and somehow Karin's madness manages to pull and disintegrate the family in the same time. In one scene Karin looks like she's in a trance and talking to an empty open door that she thinks as God.

I am impressed on how this film is character driven and on how a simple family drama can contain such deep message; questioning sanity and faith. I am looking forward to see Winter Light and The Silence to grasp what Bergman is trying to say.

In black and white, the scenes are carefully shown and it doesn't rely on panoramic or photographic shot to woo the audience with the beauty of the island.

Bergman use his famous two shot, placing two faces on the screen in very close physical juxtaposition, but the characters are not looking at each other. Each is focused on some unspecified point off-screen, each is looking in a different direction. So close but yet separated. I think it tries to show us that the characters are physically close but psychologically separated.

I AM CUBA (1964)

Original Title: Soy Cuba

Directed by: Mikhail Kalatozov
Run time: 141 min

Technically, this film by Kalatozov is superb. The shots are amazing especially the long unbroken shot. Just like the title, it is about Cuba and it's struggle to reach social justice.

Wait what? Social justice?! Isn't that commie propaganda? Bitch please, propaganda or not this film is awesome in every seconds of it and if you like cinematography you should watch this one since this is also as good as The Cranes are Flying. Speaking of which, no matter where you stand on political spectrum, social justice is something we all should strive.

Although presented in black and white but it is very effective and the propaganda went smoothly. First it shows how Cuba suffers under 'imperialism' and then the people show resistance. The farmer whose land taken by big companies (you don't say?!) and the students (Captain Obvious) helped by Fidel Castro's men to give Cuba to Cuban plus the story of everyday living in Cuba that can give you some good insight.

To put cherry on top, the anti American content is prevalent where several 'Americans' character are portrayed to be rich, lewd and annoying. Propaganda aside, this is a masterpiece in storytelling and cinematography.

The shots are extravagant, in one unbroken scene that involves hundreds of people and wide landscape, the camera seems to float. Along with that comes beautiful scenes of Cuban landscape accompanied by folk songs and poetry. Ain't that grand? And whoever think that by watching this then anyone can be converted into a commie loving people should have their scrawny asses whipped by Mjolnir since a good movie is good, no matter what's it all about.

THE CREMATOR (1968)

Original Title: Spalovac mrtvol

Directed by: Juraj Herz
Starring: Rudolf Hrusínský , Vlasta Chramostova , Jirí Menzel , Jana Stehnová, Milos Vognic
Run Time: 95 min 


From the outside Karl Kopferkingl (Rudolf Hrusinsky) looks like an everyday family man with a wife and two kids. But his line of work is quite unusual, he runs the crematorium for the dead. Obsessed with Tibetan book of the dead, he seems happy with his job, narrated by himself during the film. A very hypnotizing and eerie narration so to speak. The time is 1930 and although he is of Austrian heritage but he consider himself pure Czech who loves cultures.

He also loves to visit brothels and go to the doctor to get his regular dose of medicine to make him immune to STD. Whether it really works or not is in question.

But the time has changed, Nazi took charge in Germany and invaded Czechoslovakia. So Kopfkerkingl thinks, does this event and the rise of anti antisemitism will make him profitable? Then as tides are turning we get to see the creepy face of Kopfkerkingl as he would do almost anything to achieve his goals. He rationalize his evil act by misreading his favorite book.

This film is quite rare but the story is very easy to follow and the black and white medium enhance the creepiness of this film. This is not a pure horror film but a satirical and bleak film about humanity, complete with grotesque humor. Overall this film is disturbing without any gore at all.

Rudolf Hrusinsky is very excellent in this one it reminds me of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.