Movie Review Catatan Si Boy (1987)

 

Catatan Si Boy | 1987 | 1h 30m
Genre: Drama/Romance | Country: Indonesia
Director: Nasri Cheppy | Writers: Marwan Alkatiri
Cast: Onky Alexander, Ayu Azhari, Meriam Bellina
IMDB: 6.5
My Rate: 7/10

Boy starts a relationship with Vera after his relationship with Nuke fails. But Vera's past comes back and causes problems in Boy's life, even endangering his life. 

Warning:

Contains sensual scenes, violence, strong language, smoking, alcohol, and nudity.

 

Synopsis:

Boy (Onky Alexander) just broke up with Nuke (Ayu Azhari). Nuke's father, who initially approved of their relationship, suddenly changes his mind. Nuke's father, who is a civil servant, feels offended when Boy's father's company tries to bribe him. This makes Nuke have to separate from Boy and move abroad to study.

Boy is heartbroken and all his attempts to get back together with Nuke fail. Boy accidentally meets Reny, a woman he saves from a robbery. But the relationship doesn't go smoothly because Reny tries to seduce Boy using her body. While Boy is someone who understands religion quite well. Boy chooses to stay away from Reny.

Boy meets Vera (Meriam Bellina), a younger student who attends the orientation program he leads. Vera falls in love with Boy and tries to get his attention. Ocha, a woman who likes Boy, doesn't like this and tries to prank Vera. Unfortunately, this makes Boy even closer to Vera.

Nuke's whereabouts are unknown, making Boy finally open his heart to Vera. But problems arise when Vera's ex-boyfriend returns to Indonesia. A fight breaks out between Boy and Vera's ex-boyfriend, even endangering Boy's life.

Will Vera and Boy's relationship be okay?

 

Review:

Catatan Harian Si Boy is a film that was quite popular in its time. The figure of a handsome, devout, and wealthy man is like the ideal figure for women. This is what is presented and offered to viewers in this film.

Unlike today, where social media is a tool often used by teenagers to vent their feelings, in the past, diaries were a popular facility. So is Boy. Boy pours out his heart and experiences in his diary. Unfortunately, the scenes showing the connection between Boy and his diary aren't too many. Only a few scenes show Boy writing in his diary.

The story presented is actually quite cliché, not far from teenage romance. Women who are crazy about Boy, who is portrayed as a perfect person. The story conflict revolves around that topic. What's interesting is that it might make this film relatable and close to the experiences of the audience at that time.

The story is presented well enough, flowing and systematic. The development of the characters and the foundation of the story is done well. But unfortunately, there isn't any conflict that's truly memorable. The ending is also presented well enough by giving a slight twist and interaction between Boy and the audience.

Interestingly, the portrayal of a 'wealthy' person is done very well. You can see it from the car they use, the way they dress and style themselves, the phone they use, and the habit of partying that's shown on screen. It seems to show a very luxurious life at that time. If we look at that time, this way of life truly shows the abundant wealth of the character.

The acting of the actors is pretty good and not stiff. The chemistry is also built well, although some of the dialogue might seem stiff. The camera movement, choice of songs, and color composition are also done well.

There are some scenes that might not be too important to show. One of them is the appearance of a woman taking a bath, when Vera is talking to her friends in the changing room. However, this can be understood, because in its time, scenes showing such things were still often found to attract the interest of viewers at that time.

Overall, this film is quite interesting to watch.

 

Memorable Scene:

Boy refuses Vera's invitation to have sex, when Vera, who previously lived abroad, considers it a normal thing for couples to do. This shows how Boy remains true to his religion and isn't tempted by such things. Lately, this has also often happened among teenagers, even though in religion, especially Islam, this is something that is forbidden to do before becoming husband and wife.

 

Memorable Dialogue:

"But with the condition, I don't promise."

 

Ending:

Cliffhanger

 
Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

 

(Aluna)