The Mirror Never Lies
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''The Mirror Never Lies'' (also known by the Indonesian name ''Laut Bercermin'', meaning ''The Ocean Reflects'') is a 2011 Indonesian film directed by
Kamila Andini Kamila Andini (born 6 May 1986) is an Indonesian film director known for her critically acclaimed debut '' The Mirror Never Lies''. Biography Andini was born on 6 May 1986 and is the eldest daughter of filmmaker Garin Nugroho. Although uninterest ...
and co-produced by Andini's father,
Garin Nugroho Garin Nugroho Riyanto (born 6 June 1961) is an Indonesian film director. Biography Nugroho was born in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta on 6 June 1961. He was the fourth child of postal workers Soetjipto Amin and Mariah, who eventually ...
, and former Puteri Indonesia Nadine Chandrawinata. Starring Gita Novalista,
Atiqah Hasiholan use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...
, and
Reza Rahadian Reza Rahadian Matulessy (born 5 March 1987) is an Indonesian actor who rose to prominence following his role in Perempuan Berkalung Sorban or ''( Woman with a Turban''). Born in Bogor, he took up acting while in senior high school and made his ...
, it follows a young
Bajau The Sama-Bajau include several Austronesian ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia. The name collectively refers to related people who usually call themselves the Sama or Samah (formally A'a Sama, "Sama people"); or are known by the exonym ...
girl named Pakis who has lost her father at sea and uses mirrors to unsuccessfully search for him. It has several interpretations, including as a coming-of-age story and as an
environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...
piece. Filmed over a period of two months after nearly three years of research, ''The Mirror Never Lies'' was sponsored in part by the Indonesian branch of the
World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
and the Wakatobi regency government. The first feature film to star the Bajau, it used their language extensively. Although a commercial failure domestically, it has been screened at many international film festivals and won several awards both inside and outside of Indonesia. Critical reviews have generally been positive, mostly emphasising the film's visuals.


Plot

Pakis ( Gita Novalista) is a young girl from a fishing community of the
Bajau people The Sama-Bajau include several Austronesian ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia. The name collectively refers to related people who usually call themselves the Sama or Samah (formally A'a Sama, "Sama people"); or are known by the exony ...
in Wakatobi, Sulawesi, part of the
Coral Triangle The Coral Triangle (CT) is a roughly triangular area in the tropical waters around the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. This area contains at least 500 species of reef-building corals in e ...
. She lives with her mother, Tayung (
Atiqah Hasiholan use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...
). As Pakis' father has been lost at sea, Tayung works hard to support her daughter. Pakis, however, is determined to search for her father, a quest which brings the two into conflict. Pakis regularly visits a local shaman, who conducts a ritual allowing Pakis to search for her father in a mirror's surface. The ritual never shows Pakis his location but she remains determined to keep trying. Meanwhile, Tudo (
Reza Rahadian Reza Rahadian Matulessy (born 5 March 1987) is an Indonesian actor who rose to prominence following his role in Perempuan Berkalung Sorban or ''( Woman with a Turban''). Born in Bogor, he took up acting while in senior high school and made his ...
) has broken up with his fiancée. Struggling to cope with the loss, he takes a new job in Wakatobi studying dolphins. There he becomes involved with the Bajau community, staying at Tayung's home. Eventually Pakis is able to realise that her father is dead and continues with her life.


Production

The film was directed by Kamila Andini, who also wrote the script and, in collaboration with Dirmawan Hatta, the screenplay. For her feature film debut, Andini chose to write about the sea – a topic which had long interested her and on which she had previously recorded documentaries. She had also had a long-held interest in environmental issues. It was produced by former Miss Indonesia, Nadine Chandrawinata, together with Andini's father, the director
Garin Nugroho Garin Nugroho Riyanto (born 6 June 1961) is an Indonesian film director. Biography Nugroho was born in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta on 6 June 1961. He was the fourth child of postal workers Soetjipto Amin and Mariah, who eventually ...
. Andini has stated that she only consulted with her father and that he was not directly involved in the production, while Chandrawinata described herself as assistant producer, with Nugroho in charge. Artistic direction was handled by Timothy D Setyanto, with costumes by Retno Ratih Damayanti and make-up by Erwin Wijaya. Cinematography was completed by Ipung Rachmat Syaiful. Editing was handled by Wawan I Wibowo, while Thoersi Argeswara provided music and Khikmawan Santosa provided sound effects. ''The Mirror Never Lies'' was a collaboration between the Indonesian branch of the
World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
, the Wakatobi regency government, and SET Film Workshop, with the former two providing funding. It focused on the Bajau people, also known as "sea gypsies" for their nomadic maritime lifestyle. Little Indonesian-language documentation was available to the crew, and as such production took over two years, most of which was research. Andini later recalled that the crew had to "go directly to Wakatobi back and forth to get to know everything about the ajautribe". Originally planned for the second quarter of 2010, shooting was further delayed until September owing to an extended
rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...
. Unlike most contemporary Indonesian films, which are often completed in a matter of days, the crew shot on site over a period of two months. They faced poor weather, including typhoons and large waves, and had difficulty manoeuvring over the wooden walkways and bridges used by the Bajau. The film cast three Bajau teenagers, Gita Novalista, Eko and Zainal, in their feature film debuts; the three were the first Bajau to play in a feature film. More experienced actors, including
Atiqah Hasiholan use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...
and
Reza Rahadian Reza Rahadian Matulessy (born 5 March 1987) is an Indonesian actor who rose to prominence following his role in Perempuan Berkalung Sorban or ''( Woman with a Turban''). Born in Bogor, he took up acting while in senior high school and made his ...
(who had received two Citra Awards), were also cast. Hasiholan later stated that it had been her most challenging role yet, citing the cultural differences between the Bajau and what she was familiar with as well as her unprecedented need to act as a mother. In preparing for their roles, Hasiholan exercised slicing and dicing fish, while Rahadian went to
Ancol Ancol ( nl, Antjol, zh, 安恤) is a coastal lowland area located to the east of Kota Tua Jakarta in northern Jakarta, in Indonesia. The coastal lowland stretched from Kota Tua Jakarta to the west and Tanjung Priok to the east. Today, Ancol contai ...
in North Jakarta to learn about dolphins. ''The Mirror Never Lies'' uses the Bajau language heavily, with its Indonesian spoken in a Bajau accent and, in domestic screenings, Indonesian-language subtitles when Bajau is spoken. The use of pre-recorded music is minimal. Instead, much of the film's soundtrack consists of "folk songs and chanting" in Bajau. Hasiholan had to undergo tutoring to learn her lines, learning from the Bajau people on location.


Themes

In a 2012 interview Andini stated that she considered ''The Mirror Never Lies'' and the Bajau people symbols of unity; she expressed that the sea should not separate the different ethnic groups in the nation, but serve to connect them. Likewise, in an interview with Antara Nugroho stated that the film was intended to remind Indonesians that theirs is a maritime nation, which has influenced the country's culture. The regent of Wakatobi, Hugua, added in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper ''
Kompas ''Kompas'' () is an Indonesian national newspaper from Jakarta which was founded on 28 June 1965. The paper is published by PT Kompas Media Nusantara, which is a part of Kompas Gramedia Group. Its head office is located at the Kompas Multime ...
'' that Indonesian films had historically only presented land based cultures. Triwik Kurniasari, writing for ''
The Jakarta Post ''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta. ''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...
'', considered the film a criticism of "destructive fishing practices and climate change" in Wakatobi; she believed that this is shown through the director's "respect for the environment" in the film. Writing for ''Kompas'', Teguh Prayoga Sudarmanto noted that such a theme is representative of realities faced by Bajau fishermen, who must travel ever further as the fish supplies diminish. He further suggested that the film depicts the sea as capable of both friendliness and hostility, a force with which the Bajau must deal every day. The critic Lisabona Rahman, writing for the Indonesian film database ''filmindonesia.or.id'', contrasted ''The Mirror Never Lies'' with the plot of "tourist" ("''turis''") films: unlike in such films, where a city-dweller changes the traditional lifestyle in a village, Tudo is able to adjust himself to village life and follow their ways. Benny Benke, writing for the Semarang-based ''
Suara Merdeka Suara Merdeka (''Voice of Freedom'') is a daily newspaper in Indonesia based in Semarang, Central Java. It was established by H. Hetami and the first edition was published on 11 February 1950. History ''Suara Merdeka'' was founded by H. Hetami, wh ...
'', drew a parallel between ''The Mirror Never Lies'' and Samuel Beckett's play '' Waiting for Godot''. He suggests that they both have the same message: that awaiting somebody who never comes is ultimately futile. Benke further suggests that the film is centred around the conflict between the "utopian" Pakis and her "realistic" mother. Meanwhile, Maggie Lee, reviewing in ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'', considered the film more of a coming-of-age story, with Pakis "discovering her womanhood just when the most significant man in her life is gone". Lee also noted Pakis' burgeoning sensuality and "nascent physical stirrings" for her friend Tudo. Ultimately, Lee suggested that Andini was expressing her desire to "break away from her father' artistic influence and swim alone" through the film.


Release and reception

''The Mirror Never Lies'' was premiered at the XXI Cineplex at FX Life Style in Jakarta on 26 April 2011, followed by a wide release on 5 May 2011. According to Lisa Siregar of ''
The Jakarta Globe The ''Jakarta Globe'' is a daily online English-language newspaper in Indonesia, launched in November 2008. The paper initially came out as a print newspaper with an average of 48 pages a day, and published Monday to Saturday. It had three sect ...
'', the film was one of the first to document the Bajau people, including several of their rituals. It was a commercial failure domestically, seeing little viewership. Puput Puji Lestari, writing for the Indonesian entertainment website KapanLagi.com, praised ''The Mirror Never Lies'', concluding that it was "highly recomended" and that, despite some scenes which were out of focus, it "showed its quality from the first minute". Kurniasari considered the performances by the Bajau youth well done and praised the visuals as a "sneak peak into the beauty of Wakatobi". She found, however, that the film had several events with unclear motives. Lee likewise praised the film's "breathtaking underwater cinematography" and Novalista's performance, considering the youth's performance "convincingly embodying the uncertainties of a girl on the brink of adolescence". She found some faults in the film, including its ecological message which made "some scenes look rather Discovery Channel" and the "artificial" manner in which traditional songs were included in the film. Siregar also praised the visuals, writing that "every frame of the film is filled with the natural beauty of Wakatobi" and that ''The Mirror Never Lies'' would likely attract tourists to the islands. Writing for ''Tempo'' magazine, Nunuy Nurhayati found that Andini had "done pretty well" with the film, praising its storyline and the children's acting. She considered the film's main strength to be the "beauty and uniqueness of Wakatobi's panoramas" and wildlife. Benke found that the film was full of symbolism, similar to the works of Nugroho; Benke stated, however, that ''The Mirror Never Lies'' much easier to decipher than works by Andini's father. Rahman gave the film six out of ten. She praised Hasiholan and Novalista's performances, but found Rahadian's to be lacking. Although admitting the technical difficulties in filming on-site, she wrote that the cinematography could have been better. The film was screened at numerous international film festivals, including the
Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festiv ...
in Korea, the
Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...
in Canada, the
Mumbai Film Festival The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) is a public trust that organises the annual international film festival in Mumbai famously known as the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Actor, producer and author Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the Chairperson ...
in India, the
Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...
in Japan (where it received a special mention), the
Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...
in the US, and the Melbourne International Film Festival in Australia. It was one of two Indonesian films screened at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival, playing to full cinemas in the Generation category; ''Kompas'' reported that it was recommended viewing for German schoolchildren at the time.


Awards

''The Mirror Never Lies'' has won several awards in both domestic and international film festivals. Before its domestic release, it won a special mention from the
Global Film Initiative The Global Film Initiative (GFI) was a non-profit film organization that supported cinematic works from developing nations and promotes cross-cultural understanding through use of film and non-traditional learning resources. Its most notable progr ...
for its aesthetics and cultural content. For her directorial debut, Andini won a "Bright Young Talent Award" at the 2011 Mumbai Film Festival. At that year's Indonesian Film Festival the film was nominated for eight Citra Awards, winning two. It lost four, including
Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, to
Ifa Isfansyah Ifa Isfansyah (born Yogyakarta, 1979) is an Indonesian film director. Initially a maker of short films, his first featured film, '' Garuda di Dadaku'' (''Garuda on my Chest''), was released in 2009. His following film, '' Sang Penari'' (''The Da ...
's '' Sang Penari'' (''The Dancer''; 2011), while
Hanung Bramantyo Setiawan Hanung Bramantyo (born 1 October 1975) is an Indonesian director known for his films ranging from teen romances to religious dramas. After becoming interested in theatre as a child, Bramantyo made his directorial debut with the 1998 shor ...
's '' ?'' (2011) surpassed ''The Mirror Never Lies'' for cinematography. At the 2012 Bandung Film Festival ''The Mirror Never Lies'' received four awards from a total of ten nominations. At the 2012
Asia Pacific Screen Awards The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) is an international cultural initiative overseen by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and headquartered in Australia. In order to realise UNESCO's goals of promoting and preserving the different cultures th ...
, it was one of two Indonesian works to compete, winning a single award from a single nomination. That year the film competed at the
Asian Film Awards Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, receiving nominations for Best Cinematographer and Best Newcomer. The former award was ultimately captured by Chin Ting-Chang of ''
Seediq Bale ''Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale'' ( Seediq: ; literally ''Real Seediq'' or ''Real Men''; ) is a 2011 Taiwanese historical drama film directed by Wei Te-sheng and produced by John Woo, based on the 1930 Musha Incident in central Taiwan. Th ...
'' (2011), while the latter was taken by
Ko Chen-tung Kai Ko Chen-tung (; born Ko Chia-kai on 18 June 1991) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and film director. Ko won Best New Actor at the 48th Golden Horse Awards and the 12th Chinese Film Media Awards for his starring role in the film ''You Are the A ...
of ''
You Are the Apple of My Eye ''You Are the Apple of My Eye'' (, ) is a 2011 Taiwanese Coming of age film, coming of age romance film. It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Taiwanese author Giddens Ko, who also made his directorial debut with ...
'' (2011).


Explanatory notes


Footnotes


Works cited

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* *
Official English website
* (English subtitles) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mirror Never Lies, The Environmental films Films directed by Kamila Andini Indonesian drama films World Wide Fund for Nature Bajau-language films