Daun di Atas Bantal (Leaf on a Pillow)
A 1998 Indonesian movie directed by Garin Nugroho, Daun di Atas Bantal (lit. Leaf on a Pillow) tells the lives of street children in Yogyakarta through the the eyes of three children, Kancil, Heru, Sugeng, and a middle-aged woman who acted as their "guardian".
Asih is a poor middle-aged woman in Yogyakarta. She lives alongside a few street children who helps her with her work, three of them are Heru, Sugeng, and Kancil. As street children, their everyday lives is filled with washing their faces with sewer water, peeking at a girl while she's changing, watching their friend getting high from smelling glue, increasing their debts with the snack-seller lady, and fighting over a pillow where they hide their money. Each of them have dreams and hopes to get themselves and their families out of poverty. All does not end well, though, as tragedy befall them one by one.
I first watched this movie at school for my Indonesian Language class. The movie is sort of like a documentary. It is quite hard to follow, and I have to say, because of their dialect, even I don't fully grasped some of the dialogues. However, what makes this movie worthy is the many symbolisms it have, depicting the harsh street life in Indonesia, as well as the actors, especially the street children who do not have any experiences in acting.
The title itself can be interpreted as a short-lived comfort. The pillow symbolises comfort, while the leaf, no longer attached to a tree which gives it life, represented death or short-life. Daun di Atas Bantal depicted not only the cruel street life, but also how in this society the poor are just like a toy or object for the benefits of those with power. These people are powerless; they are being treated unfairly even to the point that their deaths have little or no significance at all. All of these are the kinds of issues that the movie brings up to our attentions.
My favourite character is Heru, simply because of how badass he looks. You see people with piercings everywhere, but Heru who doesn't have the money for it, resorted to pierce his ears and lips with clothes pins. And I love it when the people gathered in a pub and sing "Love is Blue", but with a very jazzy, upbeat tune and smiles on their faces that you just wouldn't know it's a sad song if not for the lyric.
Overall, I really enjoy this movie. Despite the quite confusing flow, which only goes to show just how deep the meaning of this movie is, it is very touching and encourage us to be aware of our surroundings and of our society - where the gap between rich and poor is still very apparent. Every human lives are precious no matter who or what their conditions are.
Asih is a poor middle-aged woman in Yogyakarta. She lives alongside a few street children who helps her with her work, three of them are Heru, Sugeng, and Kancil. As street children, their everyday lives is filled with washing their faces with sewer water, peeking at a girl while she's changing, watching their friend getting high from smelling glue, increasing their debts with the snack-seller lady, and fighting over a pillow where they hide their money. Each of them have dreams and hopes to get themselves and their families out of poverty. All does not end well, though, as tragedy befall them one by one.
I first watched this movie at school for my Indonesian Language class. The movie is sort of like a documentary. It is quite hard to follow, and I have to say, because of their dialect, even I don't fully grasped some of the dialogues. However, what makes this movie worthy is the many symbolisms it have, depicting the harsh street life in Indonesia, as well as the actors, especially the street children who do not have any experiences in acting.
The title itself can be interpreted as a short-lived comfort. The pillow symbolises comfort, while the leaf, no longer attached to a tree which gives it life, represented death or short-life. Daun di Atas Bantal depicted not only the cruel street life, but also how in this society the poor are just like a toy or object for the benefits of those with power. These people are powerless; they are being treated unfairly even to the point that their deaths have little or no significance at all. All of these are the kinds of issues that the movie brings up to our attentions.
My favourite character is Heru, simply because of how badass he looks. You see people with piercings everywhere, but Heru who doesn't have the money for it, resorted to pierce his ears and lips with clothes pins. And I love it when the people gathered in a pub and sing "Love is Blue", but with a very jazzy, upbeat tune and smiles on their faces that you just wouldn't know it's a sad song if not for the lyric.
Overall, I really enjoy this movie. Despite the quite confusing flow, which only goes to show just how deep the meaning of this movie is, it is very touching and encourage us to be aware of our surroundings and of our society - where the gap between rich and poor is still very apparent. Every human lives are precious no matter who or what their conditions are.