Lovely Man
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''Lovely Man'' is a 2011 Indonesian film written and directed by
Teddy Soeriaatmadja Teddy Soeriaatmadja (born 7 February 1975) is an Indonesian film director. Born in Japan and educated in Britain, Soeriaatmadja made his film debut in 2000 with the short film ''Culik'' (''Kidnap''); it was followed five years later by ''Banyu B ...
. The film had its world premiere at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival to positive reviews on the segment "A Window on Asian Cinema". Donny Damara plays the starring role as Syaiful/Ipuy, a transgender woman in Jakarta. Actress Raihaanun plays the female lead role as Cahaya, Syaiful's long-lost 19-year-old daughter who comes to the city to look for him and learns that her father is a transgender woman. This is their second film together after 2007 remake of drama '' Badai Pasti Berlalu.'' The film generated controversy in its native Indonesia due to rejections from the
Islamic Defenders Front The Islamic Defenders Front (; ) was an Indonesian hardline Islamist organization founded in 1998 by Muhammad Rizieq Shihab with backing from military and political figures. Since 2015, Ahmad Shabri Lubis has been the organization's leader, w ...
but saw overwhelming reception abroad through screenings at various international film festivals.


Plot

''Lovely Man'' tells the story of Cahaya, a 19-year-old girl with strong Islamic values, who discovers that her long lost father Syaiful/Ipuy is a transgender woman working on the streets of Jakarta. The story unfolds over that one night as they walk the streets of Jakarta and explains how the encounter changes their lives, as they learn about love, loss and redemption. Cahaya arrives in Jakarta from what can be assumed is her small town home just as the sun is setting. Armed with a piece of notepaper and a few rupiah, she's in the city on a search for the father she hasn't seen since she was four. Asking neighbors and shopkeepers in the area he lives in for Syaiful gets her blank stares in return. When they finally figure out she means Ipuy, they point her in the right direction and say he's "working" around Taman Lawang (Jakarta's infamous spot for transgender sex workers). Cahaya, naturally, goes looking for an office building or store. When she locates Ipuy (Damara), she finds a transvestite prostitute plying her trade on the streets. In the initial minutes after encountering each other, both are shocked at the turn of events. The innocent Cahaya is crushed at her father's choices; Ipuy is horrified to see the daughter he willfully left behind.


Cast

* Donny Damara as Syaiful/Ipuy, Cahaya's transgender father * Raihaanun as Cahaya, a devout 19-year old Muslim girl * Yayu Unru * Ari Syarif * Lani Sonda


Production


Development

Soeriaatmadja first came up with an idea for the film in 2003, when he saw a transgender woman and a veiled woman talking on the side of a street. He started development on the script in 2011. During script development, Raihaanun, who is Soeriaatmadja's wife, expressed interest in the film. As a result, Soeriaatmadja rewrote the character of Cahaya for her.Tokyo International Film Festival (November 2, 2016)
''"Lovely Man" Q&A''.
Youtube.
The film was made with a very small budget, which director Soeriaatmadja referred to as the "survival technique".


Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival in the segment "A Window on Asian Cinema." The segment also screened Ari Sihasale's ''Serdadu Kumbang'' and Salaman Aristo's ''Jakarta Maghrib''. In October 2013, it was screened for the London Indonesian Film Screenings at the London University School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS). Other films screened were Paul Agusta's ''Parts of the Heart'', Eugene Panji's '' Cita-Citaku Setinggi Tanah'', Rahung Nasution's ''Mentawai Tattoo Revival'', Yosep Anggi Noen's '' Peculiar Vacation and Other Illnesses'', and
Riri Riza Mohammad Rivai "Riri" Riza (born October 2, 1970) is an Indonesian film director, film producer, producer, and screenwriter, writer. He is notable for his directorial work on ''Petualangan Sherina'' (''Sherina's Adventure''; 2000), ''Gie'' (2005) ...
's three features: '' Kuldesak'', ''
3 Hari untuk Selamanya ''3 Days to Eternity'' () is a 2007 Indonesian adult comedy-drama film directed by Riri Riza. The story is about a young man and a woman who drive from Jakarta to Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta ...
'', and '. Initially, Soeriaatmadja did not have plans to release the film because he was concerned about a possible controversy revolving around a scene in the film where Cahaya takes off her veil. However, after participating in the Q! Film Festival, the film garnered attention in the Indonesian LGBT community. Nevertheless, its release garnered controversy due to rejections from the
Islamic Defenders Front The Islamic Defenders Front (; ) was an Indonesian hardline Islamist organization founded in 1998 by Muhammad Rizieq Shihab with backing from military and political figures. Since 2015, Ahmad Shabri Lubis has been the organization's leader, w ...
. The film still saw limited release in several theaters throughout the country on May 10, 2012. The film was screened at the following film festivals: * Official Selection of the 2011
Mumbai Film Festival The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) is a public trust that organises the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in the city of Mumbai, India. Priyanka Chopra, Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the chairperson of the trust while Shivendra Singh Dungarpur serves ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
* Official Selection of the 2011
World Film Festival of Bangkok The World Film Festival of Bangkok () is an annual international film festival held in Bangkok, Thailand. The 15th World Film Festival of Bangkok, the latest edition of World Film Festival of Bangkok, is held from December 2 to December 11, 2022. ...
,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
* Official Selection of the 2011
Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is one of Asia's oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies and filmmakers from different countries, and takes place in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens ...
* In Competition at the 2011 Asiatica Filmmediale,
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* In Competition at the 2011
Bangalore International Film Festival The Bengaluru International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Bangalore, Bengaluru, the capital of the Indian States of India, state of Karnataka, which previews films of all genres, including documentaries from around the world ...
, India * In Competition at the 2011 New Delhi Digital Film Festival, India * In Competition at the 2011 Torino LGBT Film Festival, Italy * In Competition at the 2012
Indonesian Film Festival The Indonesian Film Festival ( Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Culture to celebrate cinematic achievements in the Indonesian film industry. Dur ...
, Yogyakarta, Indonesia * In Competition at the 2012 Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival, Israel * In Competition at the 2012 Osaka Asian Film Festival, Japan * In Competition at the 2012 Tiburon International Film Festival, California, United States * 2011 Jogja-Netpac Asia Film Festival,
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
, Indonesia * 2011 Hua Hin Film Festival, Bangkok,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
* 2011 Q! Film Festival, Jakarta, Indonesia * 2011
CinemAsia Film Festival CinemAsia Film Festival (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) is a leading Asian film festival in Europe. The first edition of CinemAsia was in 2004 and started as a biannual film festival. Since 2012, the festival is an annual film festival held in Mar ...
,
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,
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* 2012 Melbourne Indonesian Film Festival,
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* 2012
Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 19 ...
, California, United States * Closing Film at the 2012 Balinale International Film Festival, Bali, Indonesia * Opening Film at the 2013 Indonesian Film Mini Festival, Washington D. C., United States


Reception

In a positive review, Elizabeth Kerr of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' also singled out Damara's performance, calling it "Damara's show" while adding that "with his square jaw and heavy brow, Damara jettisons excessive mannerisms for little details (playing with his eyelashes, fidgeting with his wig) and stays respectful of Ipuy. He uses words as weapons and comports himself in a way that makes clear the status transgender people hold in the world. When he finally relates to Cahaya as Saiful, his ruggedly handsome features carry a melancholy that speaks to what happens after the film is over. Ipuy is in trouble with some local gangsters and after he sends Cahaya home with a promise never to contact him again, it's clear how the story truly ends." ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' film critic Betsy Sharkey praised Soeriaatmadja's work, calling it "a moving one-act play on human connections and the power of love and forgiveness to change lives". Indonesian film critic Adrian Jonathan Pasaribu highlighted Soeriaatmadja's bravery in depicting the relationship between a transgender woman and a devout Muslim woman. He further noted that the film does not overcrowd itself with social context, instead letting the viewers make their own conclusions about transgender people and Muslims. Pasaribu also praised Soeriaatmadja's minimalist direction, calling it his best directorial work so far.


Accolades

The film received many awards and nominations, both domestic and international. Donny Damara received rave reviews for his performance as Syaiful/Ipul, resulting in a Best Actor accolade from Maya Awards,
Asian Film Awards The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Asian Film Awards Academy to recognise the excellence of the film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema. History On January 29, 2007, Wilfred Wong, the Chairman of Hong Kon ...
, and the Indonesian
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
-equivalent Citra Awards. The film has been credited for reviving Damara's career as a film actor.


References


External links


''Lovely Man''
at IMDb {{Maya Award for Best Feature Film Maya Award winners Citra Award winners 2011 LGBTQ-related films 2011 films Indonesian LGBTQ-related films Films shot in Indonesia Films about trans women Films directed by Teddy Soeriaatmadja