2018 was a year of growth for Indonesian cinema, which was greeted with a fanfare of positive critical feedback. The general impression was of an expanding film market through the archipelago, with an increase in the number of cinemas and viewers, benefitting national productions with results that far exceeded expectations. On the international front, Indonesian productions successfully participated in the Berlin and Venice Film festivals, which shone a much-needed and well-deserved spotlight on the country’s auteur productions.
As far as the box-office results are concerned, it should be noted, as usual, that there is no official data that records the results of film releases on Indonesian territory with crystal-clear certainty. Nevertheless, figures marking the attendance of local films published on the website filmindonesia.or.id, which combine the information provided by the main film distribution circuits and by the production companies themselves, and dividing the approximate intake by the average annual price of tickets, provide an indication that in recent years has made it possible to come to reasonable conclusions about the trends of the Indonesian market.
The two main elements that emerge from the ranking of the top 15 films are indisputable: on the one hand, Dilan 1990 by Fajar Bustomi established itself as the undisputed success of 2018 for national productions, with over six million spectators (almost double the figure compared to the film that came in second); on the other hand, the number of films that exceeded the “symbolic” threshold of one million spectators rose from 11 in 2017 to 14 in 2018, setting an all-time record since such data on the Indonesian market has been available.
The success of Dilan 1990, which is in second place for number for tickets sold in the new millennium (and perhaps of all time, second only to the comedy Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss! Part 1 of 2016), follows a tried-and-tested formula for the Indonesian market. Indeed, it is the adaptation of a very successful romantic novel, Dilan: Dia adalah Dilanku Tahun 1990 by Pidi Baiq, revolving around the nostalgic tale of teenage love. It features the singer Iqbaal Ramadan, a former member of the popular boy-band CJR, accompanied by model Vanesha Prescilla in her debut starring role. Young audiences, particularly women, rushed to see the film in greater numbers than had been anticipated. So much so that in early 2019 a sequel, Dilan 1991, was released, and has already been seen by over five million people.
With regards to other titles that have exceeded one million viewers, the overwhelming domination of horror is once again in evidence. The phenomenon is driven by the remake of an Indonesian horror classic, Suzzanna: Breathing in the Grave (Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur) by Sunil Soraya, the second most successful nationally produced film of the year, which got over three million spectators into seats. Danur 2: Maddah by Awi Suryadi was the third most successful Indonesian film of the year, with over two-and-a-half million admissions, and then, with between one and two million stubs, Asih by Awi Suryadi, Jailangkung 2 by Rizal Mantovani and Jose Poernomo, Sabrina by Rocky Soraya, Kuntilanak by Rizal Mantovani and May the Devil Take You (Sebelum Iblis Menjemput) by Timo Tjajhjanto. As all this makes clear, sequels and remakes by prolific directors dominate the field of horror.
The other 2018 “million milestones” also fall into easily identifiable categories. These include romantic comedies such as Rako Prijanto’s #Friends but Married (#Teman tapi Menikah), Ernest Prakasa’s Milly & Mamet: This is not Cinta & Rangga (Milly & Mamet: Milly & Mamet: Ini Bukan Cinta & Rangga), Eiffel... I’m in Love 2 by Rizal Mantovani, and adaptations of popular literary works, such as the ambitious action-packed Wiro Sableng: 212 Warrior (Wiro Sableng: Pendekar Kapak Maut Naga Geni 212) by Angga Dwimas Sasongko. These was also the drama A Man Called Ahok by Putrama Tuta, and the previously mentioned #Friends but Married, as well as revisitations of famous sinetrons (Indonesian television series), such as Si Doel the Movie by H. Rano Karno and Wiro Sableng. Sequels such as Milly & Mamet and Eiffel... I’m in Love 2 fall into this latter group.
While commercial productions offer a limited range of somewhat interchangeable offerings, independent cinema was able to establish itself internationally with some unexpected works. In particular, Indonesian cinema returned to two prestigious showcases in 2018, the Berlinale and the Venice Film Festival. In Berlin, The Seen and Unseen (Sekala Niskala), Kamila Andini’s second feature film, won the Grand Prix of the International Jury of the Generation Kplus section, giving an encouraging signal for new cinema directed by women in the archipelago. In the same year, Marlina by Mouly Surya received the Citra Award (the Indonesian equivalent of an Oscar) for best film. At the Venice Film Festival, there was also a return to form for the master of Indonesian auteur cinema, Garin Nugroho, who directed Memories of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku), a courageous LGBT-themed tale. These two works of great importance offer a glimpse of diversity in a scene too often dominated by the absence of originality and risk-taking.
Paolo Bertolin