Jermal

The title of this Indonesian film refers to the fishing platform--raised on stilts in the Straits of Malacca off Sumatra--where boys from impoverished families toil as slaves to Johar (Didi Petet), the burly guy who oversees the fishing operation (although very little work ever seems to get done). One day a new worker is delivered—a studious 12-year-old named Jaya (Iqbal S. Manurung), who lost his mother and turns out to be the unbeknownst son of Johar. Jaya suffers considerable bullying at the hands of the other youngsters, while Johar is determined to win him over and take him back to the mainland, even though it might lead to his own arrest for killing his wife's lover over a decade earlier. Meant to be both gritty and touching, Jermal--directed by Ravi L. Bharwani with co-directors Rayya Makarim and Orlow Seunke--never achieves much emotional power, not only because the production is rather ragged but also because the performances are mostly bland. While intriguing for being an example of filmmaking from a country not much represented internationally, this is strictly optional. (F. Swietek)