I’ve been in a happy bubble for the past few days, watching and reviewing movies about the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in Vermont and North Carolina, and then receiving the amazing news that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide. And so while you can’t fault me for wanting to stay in that bubble, you should know I didn’t get the chance to stay there for very long. Sadly, we still have a world of work ahead of us, as evidenced by the Indonesian film In the Absence of the Sun.
The movie follows three women as they navigate a night in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. But it’s Gia (Adinia Wirasti) that will capture your attention. The 32-year-old filmmaker has returned to Jakarta after years of living in New York—though she’s hardly left the Big Apple behind.
When Gia pops open a tin box and we catch a glimpse of a beautiful stranger, it’s clear this is no best friend box. Turns out the stranger’s name is Naomi (Marissa Anita) and she’s living in Jakarta now, too. I guess no one told her about Gia’s return, because Naomi’s so caught off guard by her call that she hangs up! Fortunately it doesn’t take her long to gather her senses, because she calls back and agrees to go out for a drink that night.
Naomi forgets to mention a dress code, so Gia shows up a bit underdressed (but looking great, all the same). To make matters worse, they bump into Naomi’s superficial friends. It’s obvious that Gia’s not impressed and that she’s having a really difficult time recognizing Naomi right now.
But she’s not ready to write her off, so she invites Naomi to join her on a late night stroll. It’s the first time we see them truly let their guards down. Nothing says, “I trust you” quite like reminiscing over old times while chowing down on street instant noodles.
It’s at this point that we get to know more about Naomi. Turns out she’s an artist, though these days she considers herself more of an art patron, which is code for there’s no room for female artists in Jakarta. There’s even less room for queer people in this city, where religion rules the day.
This truth comes out of left field. Gia and Naomi don’t seem like the kind of friends who talk about religion much. Then again, they’re clearly not just friends, so why is no one addressing the pink elephant in the town car? It finally happens when Gia offhandedly comments that religion plays such a big part in Jakarta and Naomi responds, “That’s why there’s no place for us here.”
That’s a heavy pill to swallow. When society tells you that you can get up to whatever dalliances you will abroad, but when you return home you better get ready for your role as “breeding stock” (Naomi’s words), that’s just messed up. That a city this huge (over 10 million people!) even cares about, let alone keeps track of, what consenting adults do with other consenting adults boggles my mind. But it’s a necessary reminder: the rainbow doesn’t stretch all the way across the globe.
Sometimes it feels like you don’t have a choice—but that doesn’t mean the love is any less. Naomi will probably end up married to a man even though she loves Gia. And Gia—well, at 32 she’s either going to have to get her own beard, leave the country, or prepare to play the part of spinster really convincingly. Worst of all, she’ll likely have to brace herself to deal with the fact that she lost out on a life with the love of her life because of an intolerant society.
It’s unfair and it sucks, but it’s the truth. And Gia and Naomi come from privileged backgrounds, so just imagine how much harder it is for those who don’t.
It’s a lot of food for thought, and I thank writer/director Lucky Kuswandi for planting that seed. Folks, we still have tons of work to do.
Visit the movie’s website for updates and check in with your local LGBT film festival to find out when it’ll be playing near you.
