School of Seeing offers unique workshops for documentary filmmakers to watch, review, and discuss the artistic and cinematic strategies of selected documentaries.
In the 2021 edition, In-Docs supported by Yayasan Cipta Citra Indonesia, the Goethe Institute, and The Why Foundation, held a series of SOS in April – August 2021. A total of 20 participants from various regions in Indonesia have been invited to take part in a series of programmes together with Mentors (Lisabona Rahman, Anggraeni Widhiasih, and Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu) and Guest Speakers (Aryo Danusiri, Amerta Kusuma, and Aline Jusria).
Five selected documentaries with different topics have been watched and reviewed.
Check out the participants’ reflections on the five films below:
This review was written by Zaenal Muttaqien (a lecturer of Film Department at Politechnic of Creative Media, Jakarta), and published on Tribun Indonesia.
(Up) Normal Person
Over the Limit, directed by Marta Prus, follows the life of Rita, a Russian rhythmic gymnast. Through this film, Prus tries to portray Rita’s struggle, as an athlete, against the limit. In line with the proverbs, “no pain, no gain”, the story has a sweet ending: Rita won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. She defeated the world champion and compatriot, Yana Kudryavtseva.
That was my conclusion after watching this documentary once. When I watched it for the second time, I tried to look at the deeper side: what happened to the characters? Why does the director create this film? What ideology is in this film?
After questioning some aspects, I can see a glimpse of the director’s intention in making this film. Prus wants to show the human side of Rita. Living as an athlete, she has to follow rigid rules. On the other hand, Rita is just like the others. She needs a break, wants to chat with her boyfriend, relies on her religious beliefs, and hopes to celebrate her birthday with family and friends.
That’s how Rita deals with the pressure from her coach, Irina Viner, who often harshly judges her as someone who has no understanding of the basics of rhythmic gymnastics. In addition, the pressure also comes from her country, Russia.
Over the Limit may make some audiences think that Russia strictly treats its athletes. Others may also see that harsh comments and judgments in sports are acceptable. These opinions reflect the diversity of appreciation for this film. Such opinions intertwine with the social, cultural, and political perspectives that each audience has.
Moving to Rita’s apartment, Prus tries to focus on two things: Rita’s background and motivation. There are rows of trophies in every corner of Rita’s humble apartment. This could be a clue that Rita has dedicated her life as an athlete for quite a long time. In my perception, Rita does not come from an upper-class family. It is not directly addressed in the film, but based on Rita’s dialogue with her father, who is treated in a medical room, I assume that Rita’s family may rely on her profession as an athlete, to support their lives. This indicates Rita’s motivation to become an elite athlete, a champion.
Over the Limit is a sports documentary film that will not bring the audience into a disturbing experience, ethically or psychologically. It is different from other documentaries about murder, racism, or injustice. Such a bitter experience can be seen in Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine Cynn’s, The Act of Killing (2012), a story about the perpetrators of the judicial killings in Indonesia from 1965-1966.
I believe that Marta Prus tries to highlight Rita’s emotions. Behind the strength of a champion, there is a side that makes her more humane. She feels tired after training, energetic during a match, and depressed when she fails.
This review was written by Armin Septiexan (a filmmaker).
Reflection of Like The Others
The opening scene of Like The Others begins in a medium-sized room, where a blonde-haired teenage boy, wearing a long-sleeved shirt & glasses, introduces himself. He says that many people often call him strange. It makes him think that he is different and that he wants to be like the others (the title of this film). This makes me wonder: what makes this teenage boy different?
I find it hard to choose a scene that I can explore and analyse. I don’t know who the main character is. So many people are presented in this film, all with different problems and ways of handling them. I can’t distinguish each personality from patients, parents, or medical staff.
However, there is one thing that I find touching. That’s the dialogue between Christian (one of the patients), his mother, and a psychologist. A scene allows me to see a personal and intimate moment: a counseling session.
Christian says that he feels isolated and loses trust in others. His mother keeps denying his confession, saying that it is because of his past trauma. But the psychologist keeps listening, shows empathy, and trusts him. In my opinion, this is a fascinating moment.
There is no dramatization in this film. There are medium shots that record long scenes. We can also see the domination of diegetic ambiance throughout the film.
This review was written by Twina Paramesthi (a film enthusiast).
Reflection of El Bulli
Noisy, not chaotic. El Bulli is different from Gordon Ramsay’s reality cooking shows. This documentary, directed by Wetzel, captures a well-organized and creative food serving process in the kitchen of a leading restaurant in Spain. Throughout the film, there are no rebuking scenes between chefs or staff.
This 108-minute documentary shows more than just the cooking process but also food preparation, cooking training for a new chef team, and documentation of new menus. El Bulli consists of two parts: a new recipe experiment and food serving training.
Unlike most critics who often describe the taste of food precisely, Ferran Adrià (head chef) and the other chefs hardly say a word. And unfortunately, it is difficult for the audience to understand the dialogue and the context. During the food tasting, the shooting focuses on the chefs’ facial expressions for only a few seconds. This makes me realise that El Bull is not a food documentary. It is about the creative process of food experimentation in a restaurant.
To be fair, El Bulli is unexciting since I’m not a fan of slow-paced and plotless stories. However, this documentary makes me realise that it doesn’t need to be a chaotic kitchen to make the restaurant look elegant. Wetzel’s documentary is in stark contrast to Masterchef. As we often see in reality shows, the kitchen is often portrayed in a tense atmosphere. Meanwhile, in El Bulli, you can’t expect to see drama between chefs. The main purpose of this film is not to entertain people. There’s no such panic among the staff as the stoves catch fire in this restaurant with 2 million potential diners per year.
This review was written by Yulika Anastasia Indrawati (a filmmaker) and published on Imaji Papua.
A simulation of democracy system in an elementary school in China
For 55 minutes, Please Vote for Me will bring the audience into its flow and rhythm. The director set this meaningful documentary in a lighthearted way.
The opening scene begins with an interviewer asking some 8-year-old Chinese students: “what is democracy?” and “what is an election?”. Meanwhile, China is a communist country and has been known for its dictatorship.
The concept of communism has been introduced to the students since the first grade through school ceremonies, slogans, or songs. On the other hand, the school tries to introduce democracy through an election of a class monitor. The film follows the election process and the three candidates: Luo Fei, Cheng Cheng, and Xu Xiaofei.
There are some humanistic scenes, such as when Cheng-Cheng and his friends apologize to Xu Xiaofei after bullying her or when friends of one candidate provoke the whole class to mock the two other candidates. The film also follows the debate, when three candidates show their competitiveness, just like the political debate.
Please Vote for Me becomes more interesting as it also shows the parents’ roles in the election. They teach their innocent children to use wrongdoing to get voters.
It seems to me that some of the scenes represent meaningful messages. They are shown elegantly in this film. For instance, this class monitor election indicates that democracy is a new thing for these Chinese students.
The three candidates indirectly represent the social-economic class in society. Luo Fei, as an incumbent, is supported by his police chief parents. The family is financially-established. Cheng-Cheng’s family illustrates the media and critical people, as his mother is a producer in a television company. Meanwhile, Xu Xiofei is raised by her single mother who works as an employee. They represent women who are often considered powerless in the social construction.
The interaction of these three figures reflects the possible processes that a non-democratic society has to go through when it’s introduced to a democratic system. The atmosphere can be tense, as seen in the scene when Cheng Cheng and Luo Fei argue in the school toilet. Overall, I appreciate this film as something interesting, educational, entertaining, but meaningful.
This review was written by Ridho Fisabilillah (a film enthusiast).
Identifying Social and Political Situation of South Africa Through The World Cup
Until the end of this film, I only know a few things about African states and their social-political conditions. For 75 minutes, Benjamin Kahlmeyer takes the audience to look at one of the countries where its political and racial issues are often discussed.
I have watched African-themed films many times. Most of them talk about economic and social inequality or endless sadness. I thought this documentary would highlight that. And I was waiting to see what other sufferings will be presented.
Unexpectedly, this film explores the social-political conflict through something that the subject celebrated: the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. I think this is a good method because it portrays sensitive issues through a sports celebration and entertainment.
From the people’s love for football, this film guides us to detailed and in-depth issues. For instance, the female protagonist whose hobby is playing football boldly talks about the patriarchy and the stereotypes about women. In addition, the film also shows the importance of family support amid pressure to get out of the chain of economic poverty.
This documentary also discusses social and economic inequality. The majestic celebration of the World Cup certainly costs a lot of the government’s budget. On the other hand, the social and economic issue is still rampant. It is an irony since the South African themselves are dragged into the euphoria of the World Cup and forget the poverty and other issues they face.
In some scenes, we can see interviews. Unfortunately, it looks like Mamelodi wants to explore a lot of topic in a hurry and for a limited duration. Besides inequality issues, it also highlights mental health, and even politics. While watching this, I keep wondering: Why are there so many houses in Mamelodi made from bars? Is it so unsafe to live there?
Perhaps, since it portrays different issues, the filmmakers use music to unite them. On the other hand, the music seems to dramatise the film and restrains the audience’s interpretation of the film. Therefore, it is unlikely that their empathy will grow organically.
I feel curious about how the filmmakers see the issues in this film. Do they truly capture the subjects’ aspirations? Or do they try to counter the South African government with lively interviews and soundtracks rather than figure out something deeper, such as simple things that make the subjects happy?
Who knows? This is just my personal view.
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