Post Description

Daun di Atas Bantal (literally means Leaf Above Pillow) is a 1998 award winning Indonesian film directed by Garin Nugroho and is one of the most acclaimed films from Indonesia in recent years and was the country's proposal for an Academy Award. It was also screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

The Indonesian society is seen through a middle-aged lady's eyes in her daily encounters with the street children who work and live off the harsh and sleazy world of adults. 
Authenticity is key in this piece, mirrored from its costume, art direction, cinematography and of course casting. From my opinion, 'Daun Di Atas Bantal' is a well balanced realism.

With intense performances by the real street children, it's only natural to feel like a documentary. Very composed and driven, the respectable Christine Hakim as 'Asih' (or perhaps derived from 'Kasih' which means love?), topped this fact and played just the right amount of mother and stranger to the children under her care to balance the overwhelmed documentary look.

Dialogues that sometimes seem vague and indistinct however works when holistically reviewed in retrospect, this film depicts realism at its more visually graphic nature than being dialogue-driven.
Life and death, living and barely surviving, are among the films' undoubtedly emotionally engaging issues that never fail to amuse especially non-Indonesians.
A well-deserved standing ovation for Christine Hakim and Garin Nugroho.

Cast: Christine Hakim as Asih, Sarah Azhari, Deni Christanta, Heru, Kancil, Sugeng, Kabri Wali 

Extra Informatie:
Genre: Drama, Misdaad
IMDB Rating: 7.2
Formaat: Kleur, 2xVCD, Nero Image, PAL
Geluidspoor: DD2.0
Taal: Indonesisch
Ondertitels: Indonesisch
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 
DVD Release Datum: 11 februari 1999
Speelduur: 85 minuten
Cover: Hoesje en labels zijn in de RARs verwerkt