Position among the Stars, the final part of a trilogy, follows the award- winning documentaries Eye of the Day and Shape of the Moon (Joris Ivens Award IDFA 2004 - World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize Sundance 2005). Through the eyes of grandmother Rumidjah, a poor old Christian woman living in the slums of Jakarta, we see the economical changing society of Indonesia and the influence of globalization reflected in the life of her juvenile granddaughter Tari and her sons Bakti and Dwi. Director and DOP Leonard Retel Helmrich follows this family in a unique way with his breathtaking Single Shot Cinema-technique. Without interviews and voice-overs, Leonard will bring you closer to Indonesia than you will ever get. Written by Anonymous
"Stand van de Sterren" means "Position of the Stars" not "Position among the Stars".
I would not call this a documentary. I mean the scenes are obviously set up and acted. For example: A boy takes some shirts and runs through the alleyways followed by the camera. But as he turns into a street, the camera rises up above the rooftops to follow him running into the distance. Maybe my own expectations that a documentary should portray true events is too narrow, I don't know.
I found the selfishness displayed by some of the characters depressing. The inability of others to recognize this behavior for what it was could only be explained by stupidity. This is not my idea of entertainment but, of course, this is a documentary.
I read that this film has won the IDA-Humanitas Award so it must be a good representation of life in the slums of Jakarta. Or maybe it was the final touching scene, which makes you think about what is really important, that earned the prize.