INFORMATION

Director: Edwin
Year: 2021
Duration: 114’
Language: VOSE
Genre: Comedy, Action

SYNOPSIS

Based on the acclaimed novel by Eka Kurniawan, this film explores the sexism by the end of the eighties through the melodramatic misadventures of Ajo Kawir, a street fighter with a dark past and who fears nothing more than his own shameful helplessness. After a rampage caused by a fight with a rival, the two brawlers fall madly in love, but their happiness is threatened by their respective libidinal needs and anxieties; not to mention Ajo’s ill-advised procrastination in murdering a notorious gangster, as well as the jealous intervention of an unscrupulous admirer of Iteung. Violence, tenderness, eroticism and the fear of helplessness follow the film’s scenes with a strong sense of humour.

BIOGRAPHY

Edwin, the film’s director (born in 1978) has shared the movie’s script with the famous Indonesian writer Eka Kurniawan, the author of the novel in which the film is inspired. He has won two Citra Awards: Best Short Film in 2005 for Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon and Best Director in 2017 for Posesif. His feature film debut Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (2008) earned critical acclaim and won several international festival awards. In 2012, Edwin received the Edward Yang New Talent Award at the 6^th Asian Film Awards. In 2012, Edwin’s sophomore feature Postcards from the Zoo was selected to compete in the main section of the 62^nd Berlin International Film Festival, making him the first Indonesian filmmaker to compete for the prestigious Golden Bear in 49 years. In 2021, Edwin won Golden Leopard at the 74^th Locarno Film Festival with Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash.