Directed by: Faozan Rizal
Starring: Reza Rahardian, Bunga Citra Lestari, Tio Pakusadewo
Running Time: 118 minutes
I remember as a teenager watching B.J. Habibie launch N250 airplane on the state owned TV station, TVRI. N250 stands for Nurtanio Two Engine Fifty Passengers. It has a bold name, Gatotkoco, and as an Indonesian I felt so proud especially as Habibie explained 'fly by wire' system on the airplane. I am amazed by that plane and few weeks after the launch my relative gives me the brochure of the airplane which is fantastic in my opinion. It was all Indonesian made. I feel like it will be soon until we produce our own jet planes.
Mention Habibie and everyone will connect him with technology and research. He was Indonesian minister of research and technology, his Indonesian is highly influenced by German accent (He spent many years in Germany studying and become a professor) and his eyes are always lively when explaining something. He is an engineer at heart, not a politician. But somehow fate brings a man to a place he never imagined.
The tide of reformation in 1998 brings him as the third President of Indonesia. He never wanted politic, but he tried as best as he could to be a leader. Many viewed him as the 'continuation' of the New Order regime, thus he only served for a year and five months as a President. Personally I approve the way he let East Timor go, since East Timor was never part of Indonesia. I think he is a good person, he just happen to be trapped in a delicate circumstance.
Then comes the movie, this is not a biopic but a romantic drama about the lives of Habibie and Ainun, his wife, from the day they met in Bandung in the 60s until the day Ainun died in Germany in 2010.
However one does not simply just focused on the romance side by not putting aside the political one and here is another strong point of the story although some important highlights are ignored like his relationship with Soeharto, being a member of Golkar, the notorious incident with Prabowo as he was President, the closing of the airplane industry in my hometown, Bandung which cause so many people got unemployed, and many more.
I know this is not a political drama, but it would be more interesting to put those things on screen since it is very rare for an Indonesian movie to contain a political story. I am very interested to see this film since I have read the book, which is good and I also have read his biography as I was 14 or 15 years old.
In terms of acting, Reza Rahardian and Bunga Citra Lestari, as Habibie and Ainun, does not disappoint at all. They acted very well, the chemistry is actually there. The story is actually good and Reza (you can also read my review on his other film here, Alangkah Lucunya (Negeri Ini), which is also good) can imitate how Habibie talks although when he speak German, it sounded like he is chewing bubble gum. The love story is something of a kind, most people cried during the last 20 minutes of this film.
Few stuff are annoying. The product placement of some sponsors are a big flaw. Most audience at the theater laugh upon seeing such blatant product placement.
Product placements are something normal in any movie as long as it fits the logic. It is ridiculous to see a certain snack already existed at the dining table whereas at the time of the story the very existence of the snack itself has not been established at all. It feels like Marty McFly put the snack there on purpose.
Not only that, some minor decoration flaw is just too big to ignore, like the red hydrant box in the supposed to be LMU Munich hospital. Such red hydrant box does not exist in a normal German building structure. As far as I know, it existed only in Indonesia.
Another flaw is how TV news presented. At the time of the reformation era, running texts are not common on TV. So to see running text on a TV news with no TV logo at all feels weird. Not to mention what the anchor said during N250 newscast (having said that Soeharto initially will not come at the launching and citing foreign press) which is quite daring for an Indonesian anchorwoman to say during the New Order regime. That is why it feels weird and out of place. Why can't the filmmaker just take the TVRI newscast to make it more real?
Other than that allow me of being hyperbolic, but if you want to believe in true love, you should watch this. As I wrote this, this film has been watched by more than one million people. I myself is has tried three times to watch this but failed since all seats are booked. Only in my fourth trial I have succeeded. This is a good sign for Indonesian films to come.
Starring: Reza Rahardian, Bunga Citra Lestari, Tio Pakusadewo
Running Time: 118 minutes
I remember as a teenager watching B.J. Habibie launch N250 airplane on the state owned TV station, TVRI. N250 stands for Nurtanio Two Engine Fifty Passengers. It has a bold name, Gatotkoco, and as an Indonesian I felt so proud especially as Habibie explained 'fly by wire' system on the airplane. I am amazed by that plane and few weeks after the launch my relative gives me the brochure of the airplane which is fantastic in my opinion. It was all Indonesian made. I feel like it will be soon until we produce our own jet planes.
Mention Habibie and everyone will connect him with technology and research. He was Indonesian minister of research and technology, his Indonesian is highly influenced by German accent (He spent many years in Germany studying and become a professor) and his eyes are always lively when explaining something. He is an engineer at heart, not a politician. But somehow fate brings a man to a place he never imagined.
The tide of reformation in 1998 brings him as the third President of Indonesia. He never wanted politic, but he tried as best as he could to be a leader. Many viewed him as the 'continuation' of the New Order regime, thus he only served for a year and five months as a President. Personally I approve the way he let East Timor go, since East Timor was never part of Indonesia. I think he is a good person, he just happen to be trapped in a delicate circumstance.
Then comes the movie, this is not a biopic but a romantic drama about the lives of Habibie and Ainun, his wife, from the day they met in Bandung in the 60s until the day Ainun died in Germany in 2010.
However one does not simply just focused on the romance side by not putting aside the political one and here is another strong point of the story although some important highlights are ignored like his relationship with Soeharto, being a member of Golkar, the notorious incident with Prabowo as he was President, the closing of the airplane industry in my hometown, Bandung which cause so many people got unemployed, and many more.
I know this is not a political drama, but it would be more interesting to put those things on screen since it is very rare for an Indonesian movie to contain a political story. I am very interested to see this film since I have read the book, which is good and I also have read his biography as I was 14 or 15 years old.
In terms of acting, Reza Rahardian and Bunga Citra Lestari, as Habibie and Ainun, does not disappoint at all. They acted very well, the chemistry is actually there. The story is actually good and Reza (you can also read my review on his other film here, Alangkah Lucunya (Negeri Ini), which is also good) can imitate how Habibie talks although when he speak German, it sounded like he is chewing bubble gum. The love story is something of a kind, most people cried during the last 20 minutes of this film.
Few stuff are annoying. The product placement of some sponsors are a big flaw. Most audience at the theater laugh upon seeing such blatant product placement.
Product placements are something normal in any movie as long as it fits the logic. It is ridiculous to see a certain snack already existed at the dining table whereas at the time of the story the very existence of the snack itself has not been established at all. It feels like Marty McFly put the snack there on purpose.
Not only that, some minor decoration flaw is just too big to ignore, like the red hydrant box in the supposed to be LMU Munich hospital. Such red hydrant box does not exist in a normal German building structure. As far as I know, it existed only in Indonesia.
Another flaw is how TV news presented. At the time of the reformation era, running texts are not common on TV. So to see running text on a TV news with no TV logo at all feels weird. Not to mention what the anchor said during N250 newscast (having said that Soeharto initially will not come at the launching and citing foreign press) which is quite daring for an Indonesian anchorwoman to say during the New Order regime. That is why it feels weird and out of place. Why can't the filmmaker just take the TVRI newscast to make it more real?
Other than that allow me of being hyperbolic, but if you want to believe in true love, you should watch this. As I wrote this, this film has been watched by more than one million people. I myself is has tried three times to watch this but failed since all seats are booked. Only in my fourth trial I have succeeded. This is a good sign for Indonesian films to come.
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