Solo, Solitude

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Solo, Solitude
Istirahatlah Kata-Kata
Directed by Yosep Anggi Noen
Written byYosep Anggi Noen
Produced by
  • Yosep Anggi Noen
  • Yulia Evina Bhara
Starring
CinematographyBayu Prihantoro Filemon
Edited byAndi Pulung Waluyo
Music byYennu Ariendra
Production
companies
  • Limaenam Films
  • KawanKawan Film
  • Partisipasi Indonesia
  • Yayasan Muara
Release dates
  • 9 August 2016 (2016-08-09)(Locarno)
  • 19 January 2017 (2017-01-19)(Indonesia)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryIndonesia
Languages
  • Indonesian
  • Javanese

Solo, Solitude (Indonesian : Istirahatlah Kata-Kata) is a 2016 Indonesian biographical drama film written, directed, and produced by Yosep Anggi Noen about disappeared activist and poet Widji Thukul.

Contents

Synopsis

Solo, Solitude tells a dramatized story of Widji Thukul, a poet whose works were known to be critical of the Suharto regime in Indonesia. When a riot broke out in Jakarta in July 1996, Thukul remained steadfast in his criticisms despite looming threats. He was scapegoated by the government as a provocator and fled to Pontianak and lived in exile for 8 months. [1]

Cast

Production

According to producer Yulia Evina Bhara, the idea to make the film began with an initiative to create murals of Indonesian poets which she was a part of alongside writer Okky Madasari and women's rights activist Tungal Pawestri. [2] Once she decided to produce the film, she hired Noen to helm the project. [2]

While developing the film, Noen read Thukul's poems and met with his friends. [3] Writer Mumu Aloha developed the story before Noen made it into a screenplay, after which the production team decided that the film would focus on Thukul's time while in exile in Pontianak. [2]

Release

Solo, Solitude premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on 9 August 2016. [4] It received a limited theatrical release in Indonesia a few months later on 19 January 2017. [2]

Reception

Box office

According to producer Yulia Evina Bhara, the film had garnered 51,424 admissions within the first month of its release in Indonesia. [2] While not a commercial success, Bhara noted that the number reflected an "extraordinary" reception from local audience for an independent film. [2]

Critical reception

In a review for Tirto, writer Dea Anugrah criticized the film for depicting Thukul as someone who "turned his back on Java, the main arena for politics and culture in Indonesia" while "hiding in fear". [5] Anugrah also criticized the character of Ida which he called inconsequential to the film's narrative and the film's screenplay as "excessive" and "redundant". [5] While also noting the film's focus on Thukul's fear and paranoia, Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu of Cinema Poetica wrote that the "paranoia is translated beautifully in the film’s visual grammar". [6] In contrast with Anugrah's review, Pasaribu instead praised the film for "not romanticiz[ing] Thukul as some kind of superhuman [...] who is sometimes powerless in his struggle against tyranny and injustice." [6]

Discussing the film's "very slow pace and lack of action and dialogue", Panos Kotzathanasi of the Asian Movie Pulse called the film "not easy to watch", while also noting that "if one can overcome these restrictions" the film "comes across a very beautiful and meaningful film that highlights the benefits of 'slow cinema'." [7] Similarly, Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the film's "surreal images" of "long sequences of quotidian life". [8] Tsui further compared the film favorably to Anocha Suwichakornpong's By the Time It Gets Dark which "offers a poignant reflection of humanity drawn from the turbulent recent histories of Southeast Asia." [8]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
2016 Locarno Film Festival Filmmakers of the Present Yosep Anggi Noen Nominated
2016 Filmfest Hamburg Political Film AwardSolo, SolitudeNominated
2016Pacific Meridian International Film Festival of Asia Pacific CountriesGrand PrixNominated
2016 QCinema International Film Festival Pylon Award Yosep Anggi Noen Nominated
2016 Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival Golden Hanoman AwardWon
2016 36th Citra Awards Best Director Nominated
Best Original ScreenplayNominated
20172nd Usmar Ismail AwardsBest FilmSolo, SolitudeNominated
Best Director Yosep Anggi Noen Won
Favorite Actor Gunawan Maryanto Won
2017 7th Maya Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
Best Actress in a Leading Role Marissa Anita Nominated

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References

  1. ↑ Media, Kompas Cyber (15 June 2020). "Sinopsis Istirahatlah Kata-kata, Biografi Perjalanan Pelarian Wiji Thukul". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 fdvs.io. "Para Pembuat Film Istirahatlak Kata-Kata Menceritakan Pembuatan Film nya". www.dewimagazine.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  3. ↑ antaranews.com (9 January 2017). ""Istirahatlah Kata-kata"; cara sutradara muda menggali Wiji Tukul". Antara News. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Wiji Thukul: From Solo to Locarno". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 Anugrah, Dea. "Istirahatlah Kata-kata: Film Penting Belum Tentu Bagus". tirto.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Solo, Solitude: On the Poetics of Politics". Cinema Poetica logo. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Kotzathanasis, Panos (10 August 2019). "Film Review: Solo, Solitude (2016) by Yosep Anggi Noen". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  8. 1 2 "'Solo, Solitude' ('Istirahatlah kata kata'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
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