Filmmaker gives the Ramayana an erotic makeover

[Guest guest]

Indonesia filmmaker gives Hindu epic erotic makeover

Oct 5, 2007

Reuters

By Adhityani Arga

Jakarta

 

[Off-topic, I suppose, but very interesting,

particularly in the portrayal of Sita.]

 

Film maker Garin Nugroho, best known in Indonesia for his

stark social commentaries, has turned to religion, love and

power in his latest work -- a controversial adaptation of one

of the great Hindu epics.

 

At one level, his " Opera Jawa " , or Java Opera, is a modern-

day version of the Ramayana, a Hindu epic that tells the

story of the conquests of King Rama, and the abduction of

his wife Sita by the powerful demon-king Ravana.

 

But Nugroho's visually stunning film has a wider appeal,

even for audiences who are not familiar with the Ramayana,

as it tackles the more universal subjects of feminism and

sexuality.

 

" This movie is about rebellion, it's about breaking free from

repression, " Nugroho, dubbed Indonesia's Ingmar Bergman,

told Reuters. " This movie aims to give a voice to the weak. "

 

In " Opera Jawa " , Nugroho takes an episode from the

Ramayana about the abduction of Sinta, as Sita is known in

Indonesia, and gives it a contemporary setting.

 

But in a departure from the epic, the woman revered by

Hindus as a goddess is seduced, leading to a fight over her

between her husband and lover which ends in bloodshed and

death.

 

Nugroho's version has infuriated some Hindus [...], in part

because it portrays the female lead as a strong, sexually

willful woman, quite unlike the virtuous Sita.

 

" Such interpretations are common in the performing arts.

Sinta is often portrayed as being daring and rebellious in

interpretations that date back to the 1960s, " said Nugroho.

 

" Interpretation is an important aspect of art. You stop

interpretation and you stop life itself. "

 

In the film, King Rama becomes Setio, a poor village potter,

while Sinta is Siti, a former dancer, and Ravana is the

butcher, Ludiro. Hanuman, the monkey-god who sets off

with his army to rescue Sita in the original tale, is recast as a

gang leader whose band of break-dancing thugs wreak

havoc in the market.

 

POLITICS, SEX, VIOLENCE

 

Shot in just 14 days, the film has already won prizes at

Singapore and Hong Kong film festivals, and is erotically

daring by Indonesian cinematic standards.

 

In one scene, Setio tries to mould Siti by drenching her with

wet clay, while in another, Siti entertains both her husband

and her lover at the same time.

 

" In this story, the female character is repressed, like most

women in Indonesia, " said Nugroho.

 

" Both Rama and Ravana are extremely possessive. They

expressed their love to Sinta though violence. It serves as a

metaphor for the violence that takes place in every conflict. "

 

Nugroho, [...] said the film also has a political message.

 

" There were a lot of killings during the Suharto time. The

mighty and powerful exerted much political violence, which

is also a central theme in the movie, " he said, referring to

the country's shift from dictatorship to democracy in 1998

when former President Suharto was forced to step down.

 

[...] [Nugroho] made his name with politically powerful

arthouse movies such as the internationally acclaimed " Leaf

on a Pillow " .

 

The 1998 semi-documentary about the street children of

Yogyakarta, released shortly after the fall of Suharto, was a

critique of social conditions with disturbing, real-life

images.

 

But " Opera Jawa " is more a celebration of Javanese culture,

which even today is regarded by some Indonesians as

superior to that from any other part of the archipelago.

 

It was filmed in the heart of Java, against the backdrop of

the ancient court of Yogyakarta and famous Hindu ruins of

Prambanan, which were damaged in a massive earthquake.

 

Nugroho combines traditional gamelan music and song,

lavish dances and installation art such as candles in the

shape of human heads and television sets carved in stone.

 

http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKJAK210573

20071005?pageNumber=1

or

http://tinyurl.com/2l4sy9