Best Indonesian Films: Soulmate, Belahan Jiwa - Just Menong

To be honest, I rarely watch Indonesian films in the cinema. My memory of Indonesian films is indeed limited. However, there is one Indonesian film that I really like because the storyline is different from the usual. The best Indonesian film: Soulmate, soulmate."

Soulmate, Soul Mate

This 2005 film, directed by Sekar Ayu Asmara, successfully stole attention and won Best International Feature Film at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival (NYIIFVF) in 2007.

Starring many famous stars, the storyline of Soulmate, Belahan Jiwa, is truly different from other Indonesian films. The story begins with the introduction of four friends who have different characters and professions, namely Lina, a designer (Dinna Olivia); Cairo, an eccentric painter (Rachel Maryam); Baby Blue, an architect who has a traumatic experience (Nirina Zubir); and Arimbi, a psychologist (Marcella Zalianty). In addition, there is another character, Cempaka (Dian Sastrowardoyo), who is dating Bumi (Alex Wiguna).

Storyline

The best Indonesian film story: Soulmate. This soulmate is divided into two focuses. The first is the story of four friends with various problems, such as Lina, who continues to receive criticism because her work is considered too 'daring'; Cairo, who has difficulty finding the right red color for the exhibition work; Baby Blue, who is always reminded of the death of her twin, Baby Pink; and Arimbi, who is treating Katrina (Indah Kalalo), a rape victim patient who has two personalities.

The second focus centers on the dramatic story between Bumi, who is often overwhelmed by Cempaka, who often suddenly acts aggressively. Assisted by Bumi, who always reminds her to take her medicine, Cempaka herself tries to fight the traumatic experience of her childhood when she saw her mother killed by her father. She herself was even raped by her father until she became pregnant and had a miscarriage while playing.

The story develops; unexpectedly, Bumi is dating the four friends at the same time. And it is revealed that the four friends are all pregnant with Bumi's child. Of course the four are angry and intend to attack Bumi. Cairo herself finally decides to abort her pregnancy.

Arimbi, who usually treats patients gently, turns out to be depressed with the situation she is facing. Bumi promises to marry his three friends, but not Arimbi, who is ignored by her lover, so she intends to end her life.

On the other hand, Cempaka also intends to commit suicide and runs into the forest. There, Cempaka sees Arimbi sitting down, crying. Cairo, Lina, and Baby Blue, who come after Arimbi, also try to persuade Cempaka not to jump and say that they are all 'Soulmates Forever.'

Bumi, who ran after her, could not save Cempaka because Cempaka climbed a tree and grabbed the rope around her neck. Cempaka fell from the tree so that her neck was caught, and she died instantly. And the four friends disappeared along with Cempaka's death.

The film ends with a conversation between Bumi and the psychologist who has been treating Cempaka all this time, Dr. Katrina, played by Indah Kalalo, explaining that Cempaka's condition that created these four friends turned out to be alter egos, four stronger personalities in Cempaka's soul due to her traumatic experiences.

Educational Psychology

This unusual theme looks different because psychodrama is still rarely shown on Indonesian screens. And this is the reason I like the film Soulmate, Belahan Jiwa, starring Dian Sastro. The unexpected plot twist is the best in its time, and with added beautiful visuals that spoil the eyes, it really makes a 'different' film from what I usually watch.

Best Indonesian Film: Soulmate, Belahan Jiwa is an example of an educational psychological film. We can learn to understand psychological problems that often arise due to trauma in the past. In this case, Cempaka, an innocent girl who experiences psychological disorders, is seen by Cempaka, who hallucinates. 

In addition, there are four different characters in Cempaka who provide insight to us as the audience about how a dark past creates a character whose red anger can be drawn into the character of the main character, Cempaka. On a scale of 10, I give a score of 9 for this best Indonesian film.