Garin Nugroho, His Latest Film ‘Soegija’ & my Role in it!

By: Monica Dominguez

Garin Nugroho. A name as familiar to the general population of Indonesians as Quentin Tarantino is to Americans. Don’t know who Garin is? Well according to most of my friends, as well as some other random sources, he is the most famous and well-respected film director in Indonesia- a sprig of hope among a forest of well, really bad films. He has made mainly historically based films, but his focus and vigor sometimes drifts to personal self-discovery works of fiction, such as in Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti (Love Is a Slice of Bread), Surat untuk Bidadari (Letter to an Angel) and most recently,  Generasi Biru (The Blue Generation), among many others.

His impact upon the world of Indonesian film is profound, considering he has earned a great deal of prestige by way of independent and international festival screenings and awards, a rare feat for Indonesian directors.  According to the Jakarta Post, Nugroho bounces from style to style with each film he makes, but he generally likes to emphasize aesthetics; his dialogue is said to be surreal and poetic. His aims are focused toward stimulating thought and discussion about politics, communication and multiculturalism in Indonesia. “I like to make films that provoke discussion -- whether about the content or style. For example I would like to make a Muslim film about sex, with nudity. I am bored with the depiction of drunkenness in my country. Religion is intertwined with many aspects of life -- with sex, with politics, everything. And now there is maybe more room to raise these issues in Indonesia” (Garin Nugroho in conversation with KINEMA).