Bikin Film - a refreshing take on life

I just watched this movie 'Bikin Film' at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) located in the heart of Central Jakarta.

The film is centered on a group of 3 Indonesian students, who also happen to be be roommates and are studying and creating lives on their own in Melbourne, Australia.

Diet, the female protagonist, is a film student whose final requirement to graduate from university is to produce a film. If she cannot produce the film, she will not be able to graduate from university.

So, together with her two roommates, Nyok, a design/advertising student who does freelancing on the side, and Bayu, a graduating business student, they decided to create the film. Nyok is the producer/financier of the film, Diet is the director/scripwriter, while Bayu is the cameraman (he's also prepared the board for the film).

The conflict arises when their individual lives collide with their schedule to finish the film. This puts Diet into a bad situation. An argument among them ensues with each one lambasting at the other for not being able to contribute to the production of the film.

In the process, they started to know more about the opportunities for them to improve themselves because each one highlighted the weakness of the other.

They eventually made up when they found out that each one was actually working on their own part in the production of the film. They finished the production of the film which was a success when it was shown publicly (or at least in the school where Diet was studying).

This is an indie film produced 100% in Melbourne towards the end of 2007.

For a starting film producers, who I suppose are close friends, Bikin Film proved to be an enjoyable take on the lives of three different young people living a foreign land.

Acting by all three protagonists were good, especially the one who portrayed Bayu.

His take on a son of a businessmen in Indonesia who is torn between making a life on his own or being a good son who will return to Indonesia to help run the family business is very natural.

The girl who portrayed Diet, the film student, also gave a good showing as an actress. She registers on screen very well portraying a student who is agonizing about the film she has to produce to graduate from university. The scene I like her a lot in was when she met with Miranda, the girlfriend of Bayu whom she ridiculed for not being able to speak at all (Miranda is mute and she communicates only using her pen and notebook). You can feel the embarassment of Diet coming through the screen. It made me feel Diet's humility in accepting her fault.

Nyok is portrayed realistically as a young man who is confused as to what he wanted to do in his life. He ends up overstretching himself by taking in too many a task in his search of what his real calling is. In the end, he is able to deliver on all of his tasks but not without stress.

One thing I would like to highlight is that the one who protrayed Miranda is a revelation. She is a natural actress who will make you believe that she is really mute. Her message to Bayu to do the thing that he really wanted to do, when she thought that Bayu will propose to her, is simply heartbreaking.

Overall, the film is a refreshing take about life in a foreign land. It is good start for these young film makers.

I wish that the government and the public will support the efforts of such group of people so that new blood and fresh ideas. We need a lot of these during this period of time.