I went to watch the movie because of the hype around it and it telling a story about my own culture. No high expectation. I ended up with tears coming out of my eyes.
It was a movie with a simple story. Grown-ups and their parents' expectations. It reminded me of Marty (1955). It showed Batak's cultures, it was played mostly by Batak actors, it was primarily set in Batak's land, but it's everyone's story and you don't have to be a Batak to get the message the filmmakers tried to convey.
Bene Dion Rajagukguk captured so many Batak's current issues and placed those on each character. A father who tried to maintain his can-never-be-wrong superiority in the family, a mother who simply wanted to see her children again, and what they wanted to see from their kids; culturally-approved marriage, careers, and undertakings. Bene Dion even questioned the traditional Batak's patriarchal views through Sarma (played wonderfully by Gita Bhebhita Butarbutar) whose voice had never been heard of before her outburst at the climactic scene.
The movie started with many comic actions (made sense since the director and most of the actors were stand-up comedians) but those never came out over the top. It also showed us how magnificent Lake Toba is and how appealing Batak traditions are. The cinematography was great.
When the movie ended, I sincerely hoped that the movie would won Indonesian Film Festival.
It was a movie with a simple story. Grown-ups and their parents' expectations. It reminded me of Marty (1955). It showed Batak's cultures, it was played mostly by Batak actors, it was primarily set in Batak's land, but it's everyone's story and you don't have to be a Batak to get the message the filmmakers tried to convey.
Bene Dion Rajagukguk captured so many Batak's current issues and placed those on each character. A father who tried to maintain his can-never-be-wrong superiority in the family, a mother who simply wanted to see her children again, and what they wanted to see from their kids; culturally-approved marriage, careers, and undertakings. Bene Dion even questioned the traditional Batak's patriarchal views through Sarma (played wonderfully by Gita Bhebhita Butarbutar) whose voice had never been heard of before her outburst at the climactic scene.
The movie started with many comic actions (made sense since the director and most of the actors were stand-up comedians) but those never came out over the top. It also showed us how magnificent Lake Toba is and how appealing Batak traditions are. The cinematography was great.
When the movie ended, I sincerely hoped that the movie would won Indonesian Film Festival.