My opinion about Estu changed over the course of making the film. At first, he didnt strike me as all that unusualI thought he was probably just going through a turbulent and perhaps delayed adolescence where he was in the process of finding himself. At one point in the interview process, his psychiatrist (who was also his close family member) diagnosed him as a psychopath and I was in the curious position of disagreeing with him about this Western diagnostic category. However, as I learned more about the deeply disturbing aspects of Estus personality and behavior that had not been apparent during early interviews I changed my views somewhat.
Psychotherapy, psychiatry, family therapy, and other forms of psychological services are still difficult to find in Indonesia. While some of these services may be readily available in affluent urban areas, they are not widespread or commonly used forms of treatment or intervention. Families may be more likely to seek the help of local spiritual leaders and traditional healers.
Traditional healers are still quite frequently used throughout Indonesia, often alongside biomedical treatment, but sometimes on their own as the sole source of treatment. Many Indonesian traditional healers, in Java known as dukun, also claim to have magical powers or supernatural abilities and many individuals and families consult such figures for the purposes of advice, healing, protection, seduction, and revenge.
There were a number of challenges in making Family Victim. One was crafting a coherent story; the fact that Estu had so many problems that eluded clear categorization meant that his family had multiple theories, and exploring all of these narrative options grew quite complex. The second was the fact that Estu was actually related to a member of the film teamhe was my collaborators brother. This made it quite tricky to balance the needs of the film, which required probing questions, and the needs of friendship, where I wanted to be sure to respect my friend and colleagues privacy. The third was the fact that Estu himself was somewhat impulsive and unpredictablefor example, while at one time he had completely approved edits of the film, he then later retracted his approval after the film was released, only to grant it again.
Unfortunately, Estus life has followed a difficult course, as he has changed employment frequently, divorced and remarried, and has left Java in search of employment in other areas of Indonesia. His family continues in their cautious support of him.
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