"They are my siblings. I don't want any of them to leave."
Release Year: 2005
Country: Indonesia
Genre: Social drama/family drama
Director: Riri Riza
Screenwriter: Key Mangunsong
Cinematography: Ipung Rahmat Syaiful
Music: Djaduk Ferianto
Editing: Sashta Sunu
Actors: Maudy Ayunda, Surya Saputra, Karlina InawatiCountry: Indonesia
Genre: Social drama/family drama
Director: Riri Riza
Screenwriter: Key Mangunsong
Cinematography: Ipung Rahmat Syaiful
Music: Djaduk Ferianto
Editing: Sashta Sunu
There is an easy way to distinguish between good movies and bad movies (social drama in particular). A bad movie feels the need to hammer its messages into the head of audiences, repeatedly stating the "importance of friendship/family/forgiveness/whatever" through explicit dialogues/monologues and melodramatic scenes. A good movie knows how to deliver its message without being preachy, relying more on subtle elements like atmosphere, expression, and low-key scenes.
For Rena (original title: Untuk Rena) is a good movie.
Mostly taking place in an orphanage, the movie focuses on two main characters: the titular character, Rena (Maudy) and a young man named Yudha (Surya). The 11-year old Rena is a big sister figure in the orphanage who always cooks up some prank to prevent her younger siblings from being adopted, while Yudha is a well-off yet lonely employee working under a Japanese man. Their paths crossed as Yudha started to regularly visit the orphanage and won the hearts of the kids--including Rena, although she is also wary and suspicious of his real motive.
The introductory act of For Rena effectively applied the single most important principle in the art of visual story-telling: show, do not tell. Both Rena and Yudha don't speak much during this segment, yet so much information about them is conveyed. We know that Rena is a protective leading figure who prefers the kids sticking together rather than being separated because of adoption, and we also know that Yudha has a certain feeling of longing toward children. We know those not because any of the characters told us, but through easy inferences from character interactions and facial expressions. Basic, but so often forgotten in many lesser movies that seem to think that their audiences are not smart enough to figure it out by themselves.
The movie does eventually dump lots of information through the character of Tia, the orphanage keeper, who is saddled with most of the necessary exposition and consequently becomes more of a pseudo-narrator instead of an actual character. However, it is handled in a graceful manner, wisely avoiding any sort of melodrama. The crux of the plot is about the real identity and motive of Yudha, yet it is not meant to be a real surprise (most audiences should be able to guess correctly what's really up with him); the reveal comes relatively quickly and in a non-dramatic way, as well as the events that proceed afterward.
Riri Riza is one of the best active directors in Indonesia, and the proof of his considerable ability is visible from the natural flow of the scenes. He also integrated contemporary social issue and cultural setting into the background; the tsunami disaster that struck Indonesia the same year this movie is released, and the Ramadhan fasting that had become a yearly tradition in the country. Both aspects are there without directly influencing the main plot, yet their presence greatly strengthen the atmosphere of the film and the messages it intended to deliver: of family, forgiveness, commitment, and gratefulness for what we have.
Surya gave the best performance in the movie, nailing the sweet spot of chemistry during the many scenes with the kids. The much less experienced Maudy understandably has a lot to improve in her sometimes stiff line delivery, but her photogenic face and reserved interpretation of Rena are enough to carry the movie along with Surya. Nobuyuki Suzuki also gives a memorable performance as Yudha's comical Japanese boss, who seemingly had a strong impact to Yudha's decisions and actions in the story. Finally, the other orphanage kids may be underdeveloped, but they contributed a lot to the eventual bittersweet resolution (Raja Khalil Gibran as Hamdani, the youngest and most adorable kid in the orphanage, will definitely steal most attention).
In terms of plotting, there is honestly nothing special about For Rena: similar material can be found in many television movies produced during holiday season. However, it is rare to find one as well-presented as this: visually and musically accomplished (the music in particular, is composed by renowned musician Djaduk Ferianto, while also featuring an uplifting soundtrack by the indie band Mocca), educating without being preachy, and genuinely touching without being overly sentimental.
For Rena (original title: Untuk Rena) is a good movie.
Mostly taking place in an orphanage, the movie focuses on two main characters: the titular character, Rena (Maudy) and a young man named Yudha (Surya). The 11-year old Rena is a big sister figure in the orphanage who always cooks up some prank to prevent her younger siblings from being adopted, while Yudha is a well-off yet lonely employee working under a Japanese man. Their paths crossed as Yudha started to regularly visit the orphanage and won the hearts of the kids--including Rena, although she is also wary and suspicious of his real motive.
The introductory act of For Rena effectively applied the single most important principle in the art of visual story-telling: show, do not tell. Both Rena and Yudha don't speak much during this segment, yet so much information about them is conveyed. We know that Rena is a protective leading figure who prefers the kids sticking together rather than being separated because of adoption, and we also know that Yudha has a certain feeling of longing toward children. We know those not because any of the characters told us, but through easy inferences from character interactions and facial expressions. Basic, but so often forgotten in many lesser movies that seem to think that their audiences are not smart enough to figure it out by themselves.
The movie does eventually dump lots of information through the character of Tia, the orphanage keeper, who is saddled with most of the necessary exposition and consequently becomes more of a pseudo-narrator instead of an actual character. However, it is handled in a graceful manner, wisely avoiding any sort of melodrama. The crux of the plot is about the real identity and motive of Yudha, yet it is not meant to be a real surprise (most audiences should be able to guess correctly what's really up with him); the reveal comes relatively quickly and in a non-dramatic way, as well as the events that proceed afterward.
Riri Riza is one of the best active directors in Indonesia, and the proof of his considerable ability is visible from the natural flow of the scenes. He also integrated contemporary social issue and cultural setting into the background; the tsunami disaster that struck Indonesia the same year this movie is released, and the Ramadhan fasting that had become a yearly tradition in the country. Both aspects are there without directly influencing the main plot, yet their presence greatly strengthen the atmosphere of the film and the messages it intended to deliver: of family, forgiveness, commitment, and gratefulness for what we have.
Surya gave the best performance in the movie, nailing the sweet spot of chemistry during the many scenes with the kids. The much less experienced Maudy understandably has a lot to improve in her sometimes stiff line delivery, but her photogenic face and reserved interpretation of Rena are enough to carry the movie along with Surya. Nobuyuki Suzuki also gives a memorable performance as Yudha's comical Japanese boss, who seemingly had a strong impact to Yudha's decisions and actions in the story. Finally, the other orphanage kids may be underdeveloped, but they contributed a lot to the eventual bittersweet resolution (Raja Khalil Gibran as Hamdani, the youngest and most adorable kid in the orphanage, will definitely steal most attention).
In terms of plotting, there is honestly nothing special about For Rena: similar material can be found in many television movies produced during holiday season. However, it is rare to find one as well-presented as this: visually and musically accomplished (the music in particular, is composed by renowned musician Djaduk Ferianto, while also featuring an uplifting soundtrack by the indie band Mocca), educating without being preachy, and genuinely touching without being overly sentimental.
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