Movie Review Tentang Dia (2005)

 

Tentang Dia | 2005 | 1h 45m
Genre: Drama | Country: Indonesia
Director: Rudy Soedjarwo | Writers: Melly Goeslaw, Titien Wattimena
Cast: Adinia Wirasti, Sigi Wimala, Fauzi Baadila
IMDB: 6.7
My Rate: 7/10

A girl who still can't escape the trauma of her past, betrayed by her lover and her own best friend, meets Rudi, a woman who makes her feel comfortable and rediscovers the meaning of happiness in life.

 

Warning:

Contains sensual scenes, violence, and strong language.

 

Synopsis:

Gadis (Sigi Wimala) has a trauma in her love life where her lover and best friend betray her. Since then, Gadis has become a quiet and unhappy person. Randu (Fauzi Baadila) tries everything to cheer Gadis up. Randu has feelings for Gadis, but Gadis never sees him as more than a friend, especially with Randu's image as a playboy.

One day, a woman who likes Randu confronts Gadis and reopens the old wound of the trauma Gadis experienced. Gadis, in a state of confusion, accidentally hits a woman with her car. The woman is Rudi (Adinia Wirasti), an employee at Bos Dibyo's catfish warung.

Initially, Rudi shows an unfriendly attitude towards Gadis. But, over time, they become close to each other. Gadis feels happy when she's around Rudi. She rarely goes to campus and spends more time with Rudi. Randu is also confused by the change in Gadis's attitude.

The attention Rudi gives to Gadis creates a misunderstanding in Gadis's mind. Gadis thinks Rudi has feelings for her beyond just being friends. This misunderstanding eventually leads to a major fight between them.

Will Gadis and Rudi's relationship be okay?

 

Review:

Tentang Dia is adapted from a short story by Melly Goeslow with the same title. The story idea of this film is quite unique and bold, where it slightly touches on the theme of LGBT. Especially if you only look at the poster of the film, but the story exceeds the audience's imagination.

The topic raised in this film is how we make peace with past traumas that haunt us. Each character has their own trauma. Gadis who is disappointed by her boyfriend, Rudi who loses her sister, and Randu who is trapped in the friendzone. Each problem is presented beautifully and proportionally.

The acting of the actors is pretty good, although there's nothing special. The development of the story's foundation and the characters' backgrounds is pretty good. However, the conflict and resolution feel less impressive. The chemistry between the actors is lacking and the dialogue feels a little stiff. There are still many things that could be optimized to create a more interesting story.

The choice of music and soundtrack is pretty good, adding to the atmosphere in each scene. The slight drawback that's a little distracting is the clothes and makeup worn. Rudi looks like she only wears the same clothes. Gadis with her hairstyle that's a little distracting and her clothes that often, perhaps unintentionally, show body parts that shouldn't be shown.

Overall, the story of this film is quite interesting, but there are some aspects that could still be optimized.

 

Memorable Scene:

Rudi takes a box containing Gadis's past memories and her ex-boyfriend. Rudi burns the contents of the box in front of Gadis. She wants Gadis to move on from the past and no longer be sad because of it.

Often, we hold onto wounds and continue to feel pain from those wounds. Not because it can't heal, but because we're not ready to let go of all the memories to heal. It takes coercion for us to move on from that past and realize how precious life is.

 

Memorable Dialogue:

"What if we only have today, and tomorrow isn't guaranteed?"

 

Ending:

Sad Ending

 

Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

 

(Aluna)