Director Garin Nugroho has released his latest film titled “Nyanyi Sunyi dalam Rantang” (The Silent Song in a Lunchbox), which premiered at the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Central Office on Wednesday, June 13.
Highlighting the reality of law enforcement in Indonesia, the film by Garin Nugroho, in collaboration with five ministerial institutions under the National Strategy for Corruption Prevention (Stranas PK), raises four true stories of injustice.
These cases sacrifice indigenous land owners, usurp farmers’ rights, and threaten freedom of speech.
The film tells the journey of a female lawyer named Puspa (Della Dartyan) in handling cases involving civil society. Her defeats in many instances often leave her pensive and seemingly resigned to what is happening.
Puspa understands that she cannot win cases involving conflicts of interest with more powerful parties, such as officials, police, and corporations.
Throughout the film, Puspa always carries a red lunchbox and sings the song “Nona Manis Siapa yang Punya” (Sweet Girl, Who Owns You) whenever she is lost in sadness.
She brings this red lunchbox to her clients every time she fails to fight for their rights.
Several scenes depict desperate acts by victims’ families as a symbol of unending resistance against the injustice befalling them.
Puspa consistently assures the victims that their actions are not wrong, but it is difficult for the law to side with them.
The climax even sees Puspa’s younger brother, Krisna (Alex Suhendra), eventually arrested for criticizing bribery, which was deemed insulting to certain communities.
The conflict storyline is presented intensely, effectively portraying the frustration and exhaustion of victims fighting against a law that is steeply stacked against them.
Alex Suhendra, who plays Krisna, admitted he was happy to be involved in this strategic anti-corruption project.
For Suhendra, playing a protagonist was a challenge because he often received antagonist roles. Additionally, Suhendra only had one day to prepare for the role.
“My character was changed; initially, it wasn’t Krisna. Playing a good person turned out to be very difficult, especially character immersion in just one day,” he revealed.
The behind-the-scenes process involved extensive brainstorming from Garin Nugroho’s team to create an accurate reflection of the reality of these cases.
Didik Mulyanto, an Analyst at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), stated that this film serves as a communication strategy to provide a deeper understanding of the prevention of corruption, collusion, and nepotism.
“We strive to increase literacy regarding the impact caused by systemic corruption. This activity is information dissemination that hopefully can deepen critical understanding of phenomena in the field,” Mulyanto said.
Stranas PK also collaborated with Padi Padi Pictures, Garin Workshop, GIZ Corruption Prevention in the Forestry Sector (CPFS), and Tempo Media in the film’s production process.
In line with that, Head of UGM Strategic Management Bureau, Dr. Wirastuti Widyatmanti, also explained that the university is responsible for assisting in national corruption eradication.
“We see that clean countries, free from corruption, needed decades to ensure clean, accountable, and integrity-driven governance. Of course, we cannot do it alone; that’s why this requires collaboration,” Dr. Widyatmanti said.
Appreciation for the film “Nyanyi Sunyi dalam Rantang” was also expressed by the Secretary of the UGM Board of Professors, Professor Wahyudi Kumorotomo.
According to Professor Kumorotomo, throughout 28 years of corruption eradication efforts, they have so far proven insufficient.
“Indeed, a reflective effort is needed. Before this, KPK also made a film in the 2000s, and I appreciate a film like this being made again,” he stated.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Donnie Trisfian