Joni Be Brave (2003)
Joko: Writer and director

This short film, produced for the United in Diversity Forum, is not commercially available. Joko accurately describes it as “propaganda”.  It’s marred by clunkiness in the acting and script, but there are hints of better things to come, including a nice feel for street and crowd scenes and a playfulness about the relationship between film and audience (the main character wrenches himself out of a daydream by “grabbing” the top and bottom of the frame and pushing them from letterbox into full-screen format).  

****

Arisan! (2003)
Joko: Co-screenwriter

Plot: A young man struggles with the fact that he’s gay, while two female friends try to make their marriages work in the backstabbing world of Jakarta socialites.

The Lowdown: Arisan! got a lot of attention for its gay-positive message and man-to-man kiss. But it is just as notable for its handling of multiple story lines and moods. Many Indonesian films are either heavy and sloowww, or lighter than movie-theater popcorn. Arisan! tries to inhabit the middle ground, which is, after all, where people live.  It’s not perfect – some of the jumps between scenes are awkward – but the dialog is funny and the characters likeable. Aida Nurmala stands out as the perfectionist Andien, oozing charm on the surface but exploding when anyone she trusts falls short of her standards.        

 Great Scenes: A segment in a Jakarta police station is a welcome blast of grit amid all the crocodile bags and diamond earrings. The birthday cake episode is painful. It will remind you of every humiliating thing you’ve done for love.

Revelations: Joko plays the restaurant manager in the final scene …Tora Sudiro had to go through an intense workout regime, “as if I was going to play Rocky”, to portray the buff and body-conscious Sakti ... Arisan! was the first Indonesian movie to use high-definition color enhancement, making its bright, retro-70s palette jump out ... As of last year, this was pretty much the only Indonesian movie you could find in the United States.

****

Janji Joni (Joni’s Promise) (2005)
Joko: Writer and director

The Plot: Joni, a young man who makes a living shuttling film reels from theater to theater on his motorbike, battles the clock and an array of urban obstacles to drop off a movie in time and win the woman he loves.

The Lowdown: The first thing that jumps out about Janji Joni is its kickass indy-rock soundtrack. The music is so integral to the action, it should get a cast credit.  Ostensibly a love story, the movie is really about Joni’s stubborn effort to stay innocent in a Jakarta that’s trying to make him cynical.  Nicholas Saputra brings just enough baby-faced sweetness to the title role, and Rachel Maryam is nicely understated as Voni, almost unrecognizable from the country bumpkin she played in Arisan! Visually, the film manages to capture some of the feel of Jakarta, a city whose messiness often doesn’t translate to the big screen.  Janji Joni is funny, unpretentious and full of personality; you won’t mistake it for one of the interchangeable romantic comedies now playing at a theatre near you. 

Great Scenes: Joni’s description of the Ten Kinds of Indonesian Moviegoers will ring true with anyone who’s ever hunkered down at 21 Cineplex and tried desperately to ignore their neighbors. A scene where Joni and Voni take refuge inside a pitch-black garbage bin, flicking their cigarette lighters on and off in turn, is unexpectedly sweet.   

Revelations: Joko appears briefly at the end as the man who tells Joni the film showing has ended… Arisan! director Nia DiNata cameos as a movie critic Adetasha, who’s a riot as a woman rushing to the hospital to give birth, was a costume assistant who took the role at the last second when the scheduled actress broke her leg the night before the shoot ... Watch for “scratches” that appear on the screen when the annoying boyfriend is complaining about how Jakarta theaters manhandle films ... A “gala premiere” scene features Joko’s upcoming movie, Dead Time (below).

****

Coming Attractions
Kala (Dead Time)
Scheduled Release: April 2007