Whats "Something in The Way" Depicted About Indonesia

"Something in The Way" is a films by Teddy Soeriaatmadja in 2013. It might be considered too late to make a review by now, but if you happened to stumbled upon this article, I hope you get the movie however you can. Especially when you tried to understand what really happened in Indonesia in general. Here's why and what:

Faith who usually got compromised

Ahmad (Reza Rahadian) is a night shift taxi driver who faithfully perform everything Islam told him to. His strong sense of faith semiotically described in the film thru the choosing of Tasbih as the accessories he'd hung in his cabs.But still, he'd pushed aside his faith at any chances by committing sins everyday, such as watching porn and masturbate. He even let his passenger had sex with a hooker in the cabs he's driving, in turn for money.

In my opinion, Ahmad represented general society where faith is usually pushed aside and compromised by sex urges, and money. The sad truth is, religion often fell flat just as an obligation, not the rights that we should be cherished.

The chain of prostitution

Kinar (Ratu Felisha) got dragged to prostitution since she was 13. 14 years had passed and she's still a golden geese of her hustler. She's powerless to break through the chain of prostitution that she's been trapped to, for so long.

I don't really following the case of prostitution in Indonesia, but it will be really sad if the hooker here had to sell her body only to pay the debt that the hustler described as: never would be even, even after 7th generation.

How radicalism worked

Generally I hate the theme of film where there are the hero who rescued damsel in distress. Because it was so ... Japan. Although "Something in the way" kind of screaming the same thing, it is indeed different. It can only be happened in Indonesia since in my opinion, this film is mainly focusing on talking about the radicalism subjects in a very subtle manner. The subject was kind overshadowed by Ahmad - Kinar storyline. But Ahmad himself represent the grass root people who often are vulnerable to the seeds of radicalism.

I like how the film started with mild narative sermons by local ustaz (Islam religion leader) touching the subject of sin, adultery, to jihad at the near end of the film. It as if Teddy tells the audience that there are certain degrees of radicalism and it usually started from the mildest topics. Even though the content of sermon kinda the same thing that I often heard and usually overlooked in Friday Shalat, but Teddy pack them as if the same content could be translated differently on the individual.

The absence of law

What's interesting in this film is that there are no police or any law enforcer. It as if the film maker was already gave up and turn skeptical to the existence of Indonesian law in general where i'd had to admit that it is full of flaws, and pushing the law to this film perhaps only could resulted to another series. But I love the message that Teddy deliver thru the absence of law: We are the one who could clean our own mess.

Teddy Soeriaatmadja instantly become my favorite director thru his storytelling style where every scene is powerfull and related to the next scene. And that's why you have to grab this film as possible. One thing that i'd complain is the tremendous amount of masturbation scene. And the lacks of tripod in the scene shooting that resulted to shaking pictures. But maybe he had his own reason, which I won't overanalyze further because i'll be the know-it-all kind of person that everyone hate which kind of already happened right now, well whatev. Peace out. Here's the trailer in case you're interested: