Garasi the movie

Garasi/Garage (Indonesia, 2006, 110 minutes)

Review by Rohayati Paseng

A Miles Films production. Producer, Mira Lesmana. Director, Agung Sentausa. Screenplay, Prima Rusdi. Cinematography, Yadi Sugandhy. Editor, Dewi S. Alibasah.



Cast:
Fedy Nuril - Aga
Ayu Ratna - Gaia
Aries Budiman - Awan
Jajang C. Noer - Tari
Niniek L. Karim - Eyang Tanti
…

It is not a surprise that a film with a strong musical element was produced by Mira Lesmana. She herself comes from a family with solid musical background. Her father, Jack Lesmana, is one of the most famous Indonesian jazz musicians, and her brother, Indra Lesmana, is equally prominent and influential in the Indonesian jazz scene today.

I have read that some viewers were frustrated by what they perceived as lack of story in Garasi. The complaint might have been caused by their own misunderstanding of what the film is all about. While rock music (juxtaposed with gamelan) is an important tool to tell the story, the film is not just about rock music and the up and down friendship of the band members (Aga, Gaia, and Awan). It is also about social class and isolation. The story of Aga and Gaia is a story about everyone who dares to step out of the box and walk against the mainstream in order to pursue their true passions and to find who they really are.

Aga grew up in a family that upholds traditional music (his mother is a director of gamelan ensemble) while he is strongly drawn into rock music, thus making him an outsider within his own family. The scene that summarizes his feeling of isolation is a conversation between him and his brother in which he confronts his brother for not accepting his music. Gaia is even more an outsider than Aga. Like him, she also comes from a line of musicians (we know more about her background much later into the film). She was born out of wedlock. Her father, a married lead singer of an unnamed band in the film, had an affair with his backup singer, Gaia’s mother, and so she was conceived. Her story has another angle, which is summarized in a scene where her maternal grandmother (Eyang Tanti) tells her that she should have never been born. She should have been aborted but her defiant mother refused to have the abortion. Eyang Tanti doesn’t accept Gaia not because she was born out of wedlock but, almost worse, because she was fathered by a poor married musician.

Audiences who are in tune with Indonesian pop culture will find themselves amused by several references to prominent pop culture icons such as Benjamin S., Keenan Nasution and others. The cinematography is beautiful, the soundtrack is superb, and the editing is good. I only wished that all the song lyrics were translated, because they would have provided nuances of the film to viewers who depend on the subtitles. All and all, Garasi is a fresh portrayal of young people, and a critical view of isolation and social class in Indonesia. The film, through the story of mainly Aga and Gaia, who, marginalized, find common ground in their music, provides us with yet another perspective on contemporary Indonesian society.

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