i just found that yes, IMDb does have a page on this film, and i'd like to comment on it, cos Indonesia truly owes much of the revival of its film industry to this gem... i don't need to summarize the plot, cos i'm pretty sure those who actually get to this page have watched the film themselves... so, acting-wise... this was the pinnacle of Dian Sastrowardoyo's career, i feel now she's getting arrogant, acting solely in highly art-house flicks that honestly won't sell without her name on the posters, same goes for her co-star Nicholas Saputra... but in this film, both were incredibly successful in depicting the lives of typical teenagers in Jakarta (well, not exactly typical, i have yet to meet teenagers that crazy about poetry)...
script-wise... excellent... unlike most other Indonesian teen flicks, i do not see the formal language syndrome nor excessive, pretentious use of slang... setting... Indonesia at its best, shows only the glamorous, glittery, upper-class side of the city, but there's enough (mostly boring) films out there on the supposedly dark side of Jakarta, so let's not argue on that... directing and editing... i can't remember much about this aspect of the film, which i guess means that it's just mediocre... no great staccato or surrealist style whatsoever here... sound... as another user have commented, the soundtracks are mercilessly inserted into every single scene, all sung by the same singer, sounding very similar one song to the next...
now, the part where you shouldn't get your hopes up... while this film has really made its mark in the Indonesian film history, and has resulted in the newfound appreciation for local cinema, no other teen film since has even come close to it, both in terms of quality and theatrical success... (eiffel i'm in love, anyone?) and then comes the worst part, the TV show... yes, those of you lucky enough to reside in Indonesia know what i'm talking about... this film has spawned a worse-than-average telenovela no one was interested in after the first episode... i'm not even sure if it's still on TV now, if it is, don't bother, if it's not, well good riddance... they cast mostly unknowns in parts our beloved Dian Sastro and Nicholas Saputra made household names, with the casting process hyped up in a soon-forgotten reality show... commercial much?
so my advice would be, rent the film, engross yourself in it, and enjoy it while it lasts, cos it literally doesn't get any better than this...
script-wise... excellent... unlike most other Indonesian teen flicks, i do not see the formal language syndrome nor excessive, pretentious use of slang... setting... Indonesia at its best, shows only the glamorous, glittery, upper-class side of the city, but there's enough (mostly boring) films out there on the supposedly dark side of Jakarta, so let's not argue on that... directing and editing... i can't remember much about this aspect of the film, which i guess means that it's just mediocre... no great staccato or surrealist style whatsoever here... sound... as another user have commented, the soundtracks are mercilessly inserted into every single scene, all sung by the same singer, sounding very similar one song to the next...
now, the part where you shouldn't get your hopes up... while this film has really made its mark in the Indonesian film history, and has resulted in the newfound appreciation for local cinema, no other teen film since has even come close to it, both in terms of quality and theatrical success... (eiffel i'm in love, anyone?) and then comes the worst part, the TV show... yes, those of you lucky enough to reside in Indonesia know what i'm talking about... this film has spawned a worse-than-average telenovela no one was interested in after the first episode... i'm not even sure if it's still on TV now, if it is, don't bother, if it's not, well good riddance... they cast mostly unknowns in parts our beloved Dian Sastro and Nicholas Saputra made household names, with the casting process hyped up in a soon-forgotten reality show... commercial much?
so my advice would be, rent the film, engross yourself in it, and enjoy it while it lasts, cos it literally doesn't get any better than this...