Sang Penari
| Sang Penari | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Ifa Isfansyah |
| Produced by | Shanty Harmayn |
| Written by | Salman Aristo Ifa Isfansyah Shanty Harmayn |
| Based on | Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk by Ahmad Tohari |
| Starring | Nyoman Oka Antara Prisia Nasution |
| Music by | Wong Aksan Titi Sjuman |
| Cinematography | Yadi Sugandi |
| Studio | Salto Films |
| Release date(s) | 10 November 2011 (Indonesia) |
| Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Language | Indonesian, Banyumasan |
Sang Penari (The Dancer) is a 2011 Indonesian film by Ifa Isfansyah. It is based on the trilogy Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk by Ahmad Tohari.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
In the early 1940s, two tempeh makers in Dukuh Paruk, a small hamlet in Banyumas, Central Java, accidentally sell poisoned tempeh, which kills several residents, including the much respected ronggeng (dancer). The residents of the hamlet begin panicking and rioting, killing several, including the tempeh makers. The daughter of the tempeh makers, Srintil, survives and is raised by her grandparents, Mister and Missus Kartareja (Slamet Rahardjo and Dewi Irawan).
Twelve years later, Srintil (Prisia Nasution), now seventeen years old, and Rasus (Nyoman Oka Antara) are fast friends; Rasus also has a crush on her. With the hamlet in a depression since the loss of its ronggeng, Kartareja receives a vision that Srintil will become a great dancer, capable of saving the village from destruction; he convinces her become a ronggeng. She then tries to proves herself by dancing at the grave of Ki Secamenggala, the hamlet's founder, and when a spectator becomes entranced and dances vigorously with her, Kartareja announces that she has been accepted by the founder. Meanwhile, Indonesian Communist Party member Bakar (Lukman Sardi) is convincing local farmers to join the party, saying that the communists are the only ones who can help the wong cilik (underclass).
After the success of her dance at the grave of Ki Secamenggala, Srintil is told that she must undergo a final ritual before she can truly become a ronggeng, called bukak klambu (literally "opening the veil"), where her virginity will be sold to the highest bidder. This upsets Rasul, who tells Srintil that he is not comfortable with her becoming a ronggeng. Srintil says that she will give her virginity to Rasul, and on the day of the bukak klambu they have sex in a goat shack; that evening, Srintil has sex with a local boy and becomes a full ronggeng.
Devastated, Rasul runs away and joins the army, where he befriends Sergeant Binsar (Tio Pakusadewo); Binsar teaches him to read and wins Rasul's trust. Meanwhile, the residents of Dukuh Paruk fully embrace communism.
Ten years later, following the failed Communist-led coup d'état in Jakarta, Rasus returns to Dukuh Paruk with the army to kill the communists. However, other residents are killed, including Srintil.
[edit] Production
Sang Penari was directed by Ifa Isfansyah.[1] Husband and wife team Wong Aksan and Titi Sjuman were chosen to do the scoring, which they spent a month and a half on; they later said that work on the film brought them closer together.[2] Shanty Harmayn, who had previously worked on Pasir Berbisik (Whispering Sands; 2004), was chosen to produce, while Salman Aristo, known for his scripts for Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love; 2008) and Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warriors; 2009) spearheaded a script.[3] The script went through 12 drafts and took two years of research.[4]
Sang Penari is based on the Ronggeng Duku Paruk (Ronggeng of Paruk Hamlet) by Ahmad Tohari;[5] it is the second adaptation of the work, after Darah dan Mahkota Ronggeng (Blood and Crown of a Dancer), directed by Yazman Yazid and starring Ray Sahetapy and Enny Beatrice, in 1983.[6] The film was shot mostly in Banyumas, Central Java.[6] Director Ifa Isfansyah attempted to cast the lead role there, but failed after several months looking.[1]
Isfansyah eventually chose a new actress, Prisia Nasution.[6] Balinese actor Nyoman Oka Antara, who had previously played in Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love; 2008) and Perempuan Berkalung Sorban (The Girl With the Keffiyeh Around Her Neck; 2009), was cast in the leading male role.[6] The film also featured Slamet Rahardjo, Dewi Irawan, Hendro Djarot, Tio Pakusadewo, Lukman Sardi, and Teuku Rifnu Wikana in supporting roles; Happy Salma also had a cameo as a dancer.[6]
[edit] Style and themes
Sang Penari touches on the history of communism in Indonesia, focusing on the nation's communist party spreading its ideology and the government's purge of the Communist Party's members from 1965–1966, which is thought to have killed several hundred thousand.[4] It is only the third Indonesian film to cover the killings, following Arifin C. Noer's G30S/PKI (1984) and Riri Riza's Gie (2005).[4] Tohari later said that if he had written about the killings as they were depicted in the film, the repressive New Order government would have had him shot.[7]
Sang Penari features many spoken lines in the Banyumasan language spoken in the area.[8] It also features several aspects of Indonesian culture, including batik[8] and Javanese music.[7]
[edit] Release and reception
Sang Penari was released on 10 November 2011.[1] Tohari, who had refused to watch the first adaptation, enjoyed Sang Penari and reportedly considered it a "sublime adaptation of his work".[6] Triwik Kurniasari, writing for The Jakarta Post, described the film as "artistically stunning" and that Isfansyah "smoothly translates the sinister moment and the vicious attempts taken by the military in handling possible traitors".[6] Labodalih Sembiring, writing for the Jakarta Globe, said the socio-cultural elements in the film were worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy and that it featured good acting and direction; however, the film's soundtrack was considered lacking.[7]
Sang Penari was nominated for nine awards at the 2011 Indonesian Film Festival, winning four.[5]
[edit] Awards
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesian Film Festival | 2011 | Best Picture[5] | Won | |
| Best Director[5] | Ifa Isfansyah | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay[9] | Salman Aristo, Ifa Isfansyah, and Shanty Harmayn | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography[9] | Yadi Sugandi | Nominated | ||
| Best Artistic Direction[9] | Eros Eflin | Nominated | ||
| Best Leading Actor[9] | Nyoman Oka Antara | Nominated | ||
| Best Leading Actress[5] | Prisia Nasution | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor[9] | Hendro Djarot | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress[5] | Dewi Irawan | Won |
[edit] References
- Footnotes
- ^ a b c Maryono 2011, Ifa Isfansyah: The man.
- ^ The Jakarta Post 2011, Film brings Titi.
- ^ Krismantari 2011, Kurniasari 2011, A vibrant year.
- ^ a b c Siregar 2011, Film: Dancing through.
- ^ a b c d e f Kurniasari 2011, A vibrant year.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kurniasari 2011, Ronggeng 2.0.
- ^ a b c Sembiring 2011, Gripping Drama Shines.
- ^ a b Subagyo 2011, "Sang Penari", Potret.
- ^ a b c d e IFF 2011, Inilah Nominasi FFI.
- Bibliography
- "Film brings Titi closer to husband". The Jakarta Post (Jakarta). 4 November 2011. Archived from the original on 24 December 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/64A0xrrwb. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- "Inilah Nominasi FFI 2011 [These are the IFF Nominations for 2011]" (in Indonesian). Indonesian Film Festival. 27 November 2011. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:b65QlX82VXQJ:www.festivalfilmindonesia.org/inilah-nominasi-ffi-2011/+www.festivalfilmindonesia.org/inilah-nominasi-ffi-2011/&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- Krismantari, Ika (3 November 2011). "Ahmad Tohari: The return of the people’s writer". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64dAu5NwZ. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Kurniasari, Triwik (18 December 2011). "A vibrant year for the film industry". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64dAu5NwZ. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Kurniasari, Triwik (13 November 2011). "Ronggeng 2.0". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64dCwoIVF. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Maryono, Agus (22 November 2011). "Ifa Isfansyah: The man behind ‘Sang Penari’". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64dCUuXFk. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Sembiring, Lebodalih (21 November 2011). "Gripping Drama Shines Light on Indonesian Dark Past". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64dMYuzL7. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Siregar, Lisa (8 November 2011). "Film: Dancing Through Indonesia’s Dark Days". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64dFwktdb. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Subagyo, Rz. (5 November 2011). ""Sang Penari", Potret Buram Pasca Tragedi ["Sang Penari", Blurred Portrait after the Tragedy]" (in Indonesian). Kompas. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/64dOQnlDV. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
