After marrying in Indonesia, Habibie (Reza) and Ainun (Bunga) spend the first few years of their marriage in Germany while Habibie completes his aeronautics studies and establishes himself as a star in his field. Following the successive births of their two children, Habibie is called back to Indonesia to work as a governmentally-appointed aeronautics engineer where he soon finds himself being sworn into a famously short stint as Indonesia`s third president after social strife forces the resignation of his predecessor Suharto. Too late, he discovers true satisfaction is derived in the heart and the home.
The opening scene`s childish appeal is quickly undermined by the meaningless and superficial courtship that follows, consisting of little more than patchwork close-ups of the lovers` dove-eyed faces and a quick proposal in a cramped tuk-tuk. This sad lack of depth and backstory leaves the viewer questioning the groundless romance. Their subsequent move to and time spent in Germany interspersed with low-quality cheesy CG scenes is infested with montages of filler scenes, such as Habibie ruffling blueprints at his desk (with the quintessential racist conservative white man questioning his intellectual acuity) and Ainun brooding listlessly in their small loft kitchen, a quaint housewife awaiting her husband`s return.
This film could have been a beautiful discussion of the effects of intermingling societies and cultures, the growth of a nation, and the power of true love. Instead, it represents a director`s failed attempt to replicate cinema`s blockbuster romances. From the one-dimensional characters to the lack of subtlety in exploring racial issues, there are hardly any redeeming qualities in this dragged-out film save Bunga, whose acting, however uni-dimensional her persona may be, is simple and gently charismatic, in stark contrast to her co-actor`s over-acting and brutish laughter (which seem to comprise much of his dialogue).
Summary: A painfully inept portrayal of a real love.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Nicholaiv Villalobos