Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini's fourth feature, a stately melodrama, combines dreams, visions, and memories to depict the life of an upper-class wife and mother in times both fraught and calm.
After her father is killed and her husband, Icang (Ibnu Jamil), is abducted--and presumably killed--during the social revolutions of the 1950s, Nana (actress and author Happy Salma, graceful and stoic), goes on the run with her sister, Ningsih (Rieke Diah Pitaloka) and her baby, Setia. By the late-1960s, she has settled in West Java and remarried Mr. Darga (Autobiography's Arswendy Bening Swara), an older Sundanese plantation owner, though she has visions that Icang is still alive.
At the outset, Nana and Mr. Darga share a well-appointed home with four kids and several servants (sadly, Setia died in infancy). Though their domestic life appears settled, there are suggestions of infidelity and a potential uprising. When Nana discovers proof of an affair, by way of mysterious notes and deliveries, she deals with the situation like an adult by befriending the responsible party: free-spirited, small business owner Ino (Berlin-born Laura Basuki, winner of the Silver Bear for supporting actress at the Berlin Film Festival), a woman who is, in some ways, just as much an outsider as she is.
When a figure from Nana's past reemerges after 15 years, she has to decide whether to continue with her unsatisfying, yet stable life or to make a change. What might normally be a private matter becomes public as neighbors and even her own children have their say. If she didn't already feel like an outsider, prominent position aside, their lack of support drives it home.
Drawing from co-writer Ahda Imran's fact-based novel My Name Is Jais Darga, in addition to the experiences of her own grandmother, filmmaker Andini (Seen and Unseen, Yuni) never pushes the melodrama too hard, though there's almost as much smoking here--Nana and Ino often meet late at night to talk and smoke--as in infamous Bette Davis weepie Now, Voyager. Batara Goempar's luminous cinematography and the elegant period apparel also brings to mind Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love, a bittersweet account of an affair in 1960s Hong Kong, though the storyline is otherwise quite different.
Though Before, Now & Then isn't a musical in the conventional sense, music and dance sequences play a significant role in Nana's world, from social gatherings to private performances. She even sings a song to her beloved daughter, Dais (Chempa Puteri), toward the end. Ricky Lionardi's lush score combines classical piano, a string quartet, and wordless, soprano vocalizing with the zither, flute, and percussion of traditional Sundanese music.
In the end, Nana heeds the words Ino imparts to her during one of their late-night conversations: "The heart cannot lie." An epilogue confirms that she made the right choice, despite the sacrifices involved. Instead of another film, filmmaker Kamila Andini provided much of the directing for Netflix's Cigarette Girl, a period drama also adapted from an Indonesian novel.
What kind of film series would this narrative fit in?
Before, Now & Then would fit with series on 20th-century Indonesia, like the films of Kamila Andini's father, Garin Nugroho, or Joshua Oppenheimer's documentaries The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence. It would also fit with a film series on Andini, who has directed four features, two shorts, and one TV series, in addition to writing two produced screenplays.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
Before, Now & Then would be suitable for Indonesian, Asian, foreign film, historical drama, and literary adaptation collections in academic and public libraries.
What type of library programming could use this title?
Library programming on Indonesian politics and culture could make good use of Before, Now & Then, which focuses more on domestic issues during times of turmoil than scenes of battle. There is very little violent content and any sexuality is suggested rather than depicted. It could be a good starting point for viewers interested in learning about Indonesian music and history.