? (film)

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?

Poster
Directed by Hanung Bramantyo
Written by Titien Wattimena
Starring Revalina Sayuthi Temat
Reza Rahadian
Agus Kuncoro
Endhita
Rio Dewanto
Hengky Sulaeman
Music by Tya Subiakto
Cinematography Yadi Sugandi
Distributed by Dapur Film
Mahaka Pictures
Release date(s)
  • 7 April 2011 (2011-04-07)
Running time 100 minutes
Country ‹See Tfd› Indonesia
Language Indonesian

? (read Tanda Tanya, meaning Question Mark) is a 2011 Indonesian drama film directed by Hanung Bramantyo. It stars Revalina Sayuthi Temat, Reza Rahadian, Agus Kuncoro, Endhita, Rio Dewanto, and Hengky Sulaeman. The theme is Indonesia's religious pluralism that often results in conflict between religious beliefs. The plot revolves around the interactions of three families, one Buddhist, one Muslim, and one Catholic. After undergoing numerous hardships and having several family members die due to religious violence, they are able to reconcile and live in harmony.

After its release on 7 April 2011, ? was protested by several Indonesian Muslim groups, including the Indonesian Ulema Council, Islamic Defenders Front, and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), disagreeing with the pluralist message of the film. The film was a critical and commercial success, with 150,000 viewers in the first 10 days and positive reviews.

Contents

[edit] Plot

? focuses on interfaith relations in Indonesia, a country where religious conflicts are common and there is a long history of violence and discrimination against Chinese Indonesians. [1] The storyline follows three families living in a village in Semarang, Central Java: the Chinese Indonesian Buddhist Tan Kat Sun (Hengky Sulaeman) and his son Hendra (Rio Dewanto), the Muslim couple Soleh (Reza Rahadian) and Menuk (Revalina Sayuthi Temat), and the Catholic-convert Rika (Endhita) and her Muslim son Abi.

Sun runs a Chinese restaurant with Hendra that serves pork (forbidden for Muslims), yet has many Muslim clients and staff. To ensure harmony, Sun uses special utensils for the preparation of pork, which he does not permit to be used for other dishes, and allows his staff time for prayers and a holiday during Eid ul-Fitr, the largest Muslim holiday. One of his employees is Menuk, who supports her unemployed husband Soleh in his search for a job; Rika is Menuk's friend and is involved with a ne'er-do-well Muslim actor Surya (Agus Kuncoro).

Already in his 70s, Sun falls ill and the restaurant is taken over by Hendra, who decides it will serve exclusively pork, alienating Muslim customers. Hendra comes into conflict with Soleh over Menuk, as Hendra had previously dated her. Menuk becomes increasingly depressed after Soleh tells her that he plans to divorce her, and they are driven apart. Meanwhile, Rika feels stressed because of the way her family and neighbours have treated her since she converted to Catholicism from Islam; she is also dealing with the competition between Surya and Doni (Glenn Fredly) for her affections. Abi is feeling conflicted due to the ostracism he receives from neighbours disapproving of his mother's religious conversion. Surya is upset over his failure to find a good acting job.

Soleh joins the Islamic group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), enabling him to feel more confident; however, though first reluctant to protect the security of a church, he ends up sacrificing his life when he discovers a bomb has been planted in the church on Christmas Day. He rushes out with the bomb, which eventually explodes outside the church and away from worshippers but he dies in the process. Sun dies when the restaurant, which did not close to honour Eid ul-Fitr, is attacked by a group of Muslims. After the attack, Hendra reads the 99 Names of Allah and converts to Islam; he attempts to approach Menuk, although it is unclear if she will accept him. Surya receives an offer from Rika to play the role of Jesus in her church's Christmas and Easter pageants, which he accepts for a high fee after hesitating due to fears that it will be against his religion; after the pageant he reads Al-Ikhlas in a mosque. Rika is able to obtain her parents' blessing for her conversion. Eventually all are able to reconcile.

[edit] Cast

  • Revalina S Temat as Menuk, a religious Muslim woman who wears a hijab and is married to Soleh.[2] Menuk works at Tan Kat Sun's restaurant alongside her would-be suitor, Sun's son Hendra.[2]
  • Reza Rahadian as Soleh, Menuk's unemployed Muslim husband who wishes to be a hero for his family.[2] He eventually joins the Banser branch of the NU.[2] He dies in the process of removing a planted bomb in a church full of worshippers.[3]
  • Endhita as Rika, a young divorcée, mother of one, and Catholic convert.[2] Because she is divorced and converted to Catholicism, she is often looked down on by her neighbours.[2] She also comes into conflict with her son Abi, who did not convert with her, over her change to Catholicism.[2]
  • Agus Kuncoro as Surya, a young Muslim actor and Rika's boyfriend.[2] Although he hopes to be a movie star, he has only received bit parts and as such is financially desperate[2] and going through an existential crisis.[3] He eventually lands the lead role as Jesus at Rika's Christmas pageant.[2]
  • Rio Dewanto as Hendra (Ping Hen), the son of Tat Kan Sun and Lim Giok Lie.[2] He constantly argues with his parents, especially about running the restaurant.[2] He also falls in love with Menuk, but she rejects him as he is not Muslim.[2] After the death of his father, he converts to Islam.[3]
  • Hengky Sulaeman as Tan Kat Sun, a Chinese-Indonesian restaurant owner, husband of Lim Giok Lie and father of Hendra.[2] Sun is of poor health but continues to keep a positive attiude.[2]
  • Edmay as Lim Giok Lie, wife of Tan Kat Sun and mother of Hendra.[3] She often gives advice to Menuk.[3]
  • Glenn Fredly as Doni, a Catholic youth in love with Rika.[3]
  • David Chalik as an ustad, a Muslim religious leader and adviser to Surya.[3]
  • Dedy Soetomo as pastor of Santo Paulus church.[3]

[edit] Production

? was directed by Hanung Bramantyo,[4] He decided to direct a pluralist-themed film based on his own experiences as a mixed-race child.[5] He chose the title ? to avoid protests upon the film's release, saying that if it had been named Liberalism or Pluralism there would be protests by opponents of those ideologies,[4] and he could not think of a better title.[5] The plot is based on an actual incident in Mojokerto, East Java;[6] the individual characters are based on people that Bramantyo has known or read about.[5] His goal in making ? was to "clarify misleading arguments about Islam" and counter the portrayal of Islam as a "radical religion".[7] The film, his fourteenth, is one of several Islam-themed movies he has directed, after Ayat-Ayat Cinta (The Verses of Love; 2008) and Sang Pencerah (The Enlightener; 2009).[8]

For fear that the theme of pluralism would be taken as a "battle cry", some investors abandoned their commitments.[9] While screening the film for the Indonesian Film Censor Board, several scenes were cut, including one where a pig's head was displayed in the window of Sun's restaurant, while other scenes that raised commentary were kept,[9] although trimmed.[8] Prior to the release of the film, Bramantyo consulted approximately twenty people, including several religious leaders, to ensure that the film was considered tasteful.[10]

Mahaka Pictures, owned by the same group as the predominantly Muslim Republika, co-produced the film with Dapur Film.[11] The director of Mahaka Pictures, Erick Thohir, stated that his company had assisted with production because he "was disturbed by the fact that Indonesian films have declined in quality".[11]

[edit] Themes

Ade Irwansyah, writing for Tabloid Bintang, notes that the film is a "microcosm" of Indonesia, which has numerous religious groups that often come into conflict.[4] Irwansyah writes that Bramantyo intends for viewers to think of the religious conflicts that happen daily, and how to deal with differences in culture and beliefs,[4] and Bramantyo has stated that it is his own personal interpretation.[9]

The Jakarta Globe describes the film as being a "study of the role and state of Islam in modern Indonesian society".[9]

[edit] Release and reception

? debuted at Gandaria City in South Jakarta on 31 March 2011, with a wide release on 7 April.[4] Its release coincided with a contest sponsored by a local cellular provider calling on viewers to decide the best name to describe the events shown in the film; the best name is to be used on the DVD release.[4] Within five days of its premiere, ? had been seen by almost 100,000 people,[12] with another 50,000 seeing it by 17 April.[11]

Critical reaction to ? was favourable. Indah Setiawati of The Jakarta Post wrote that the film was a "gallant attempt to promoted moderate Islam and reveal the sensitive issues in the country in a casual way", and that viewers should "get ready to burst into laughter and break down in tears".[8] Aguslia, writing for Tempo, said that it was better than the 2010 Citra Award winner 3 Hati Dua Dunia, Satu Cinta, which had similar themes.[5] ? received 9 nominations at the 2011 Indonesian Film Festival,[13] winning one Citra Award for Best Cinematography.[14]

[edit] Controversy

After the release of ?, the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam, or FPI) demonstrated against the film and its pluralist message.[15] Banser, the youth wing of the NU, also protested the film, taking offence to a scene where Banser members are paid to do their charitable duties; they insisted that they are not.[9] Meanwhile, the head of the Center For Culture of the Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, or MUI) Cholil Ridwan stated that "the film clearly propagates religious pluralism",[12] which the MUI had previously declared haraam (forbidden) in 2005.[11] Protests erupted again when SCTV announced plans to show ? during Eid ul-Fitr 2011, the FPI demonstrated again, with hundreds of members protesting in front of the station's office, calling for further cuts.[15][16] SCTV later decided against showing the film;[15] the decision was heavily criticised and seen as "giving in" to the FPI.[16]

In response to the criticism of ?, Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik stated that the film would be best titled Bhinneka Tunggal Ika ("Unity in Diversity", the Indonesian national motto), with its depiction of inter-ethnic and interfaith tolerance reflecting Indonesia's "national character".[12] Yenny Wahid, a religious activist and daughter of former president and noted pluralist Abdurrahman Wahid, said that ? had "succeeded in conveying the ideas of pluralism in Indonesia", and that critics should not look at it in fragments.[17]

Although initially tweeting that the protests were free promotion,[11] Bramantyo later entered discussions with the MUI and agreed to cut some scenes to avoid protests.[15] In an October 2011 interview, he stated that he was "bewildered" that the film was poorly received by Muslims.[7]

[edit] Awards

Award Year Category Recipient Result
Indonesian Film Festival 2011 Best Director[13] Hanung Bramantyo Nominated
Best Screenplay[13] Titien Wattimena Nominated
Best Original Story[13] Hanung Bramantyo Nominated
Best Cinematography[14] Yadi Sugandi Won
Best Artistic Direction[13] Fauzi Nominated
Best Video Editing[13] Cesa David Luckmasyah Nominated
Best Sound Editing[13] Satrio Budiono & Saft Daultsyah Nominated
Best Supporting Actor[13] Agus Kuncoro Nominated
Best Supporting Actress[13] Endhita Nominated

[edit] References

Footnotes
  1. ^ Sidel 2006, pp. 1–4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Official Website 2011, Cast & Crew.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Official Website 2011, Press.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Irwansyah 2011, Mengapa Hanung Bramantyo.
  5. ^ a b c d Aguslia 2011, Sebuah Tanda Tanya.
  6. ^ Deri, ‘?’ (Tanda Tanya):.
  7. ^ a b Setiawati 2011, Is film censorship.
  8. ^ a b c Setiawati 2011, Questioning intolerance.
  9. ^ a b c d e The Jakarta Globe 2011, Making Movies With.
  10. ^ Maullana 2011, Hanung Menyentuh Isu.
  11. ^ a b c d e Setiawati 2011, Hanung’s new film.
  12. ^ a b c Rakhmani 2011, Questioning religious divides.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i IFF 2011, Inilah Nominasi FFI.
  14. ^ a b KapanLagi.com 2011, Inilah Pemenang FFI.
  15. ^ a b c d The Jakarta Post 2011, FPI pulls scalpel.
  16. ^ a b The Jakarta Globe 2011, SCTV Widely Criticized.
  17. ^ The Jakarta Post 2011, Hanung’s new film.
Bibliography
Online references

[edit] External links
Films
Short films
  • When ... (2003)
  • JK (2009)
Serials
  • Sayekti dan Hanafi (2005)
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