A romantic drama with psychological thrills, Everyday is a Lullaby is to be premiered at South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) next month.

It will be the only Indonesian feature film screened for the A Window on Asian Cinema program, alongside 31 titles from other countries.

“We submitted the film near the closing date and got the confirmation within two weeks,” producer John Badalu said during a virtual press conference on Thursday.

There was tight competition to get on the list as the BIFF organizers halved the number of film screenings because of the pandemic.

Scripted by Ilya Sigma (Boy’s Diary, Rectoverso) and directed by Putrama Tuta (A Man Called Ahok), Lullaby promises to broaden the horizon of the Indonesian audience.

The film, however, will not be played in theaters at home.

“We will not hold any commercial release [event] for the film and opt for alternative distribution through film festivals. It’s an indie film that represents our idealism, so we focus on distribution in niche markets,” said Badalu.

Tuta said the low-budget film was designed to accomplish artistic and aesthetics feats.

“My only hope is for the film to be a source of pride for everybody involved in it,” he told journalists.

The project started in 2016 under the working title Happy Birthday Every Day that was based on the concept of the afterlife but presented in a light and entertaining way.

Produced by Badalu and Manoj Samtani through The United Team of Art, the film revolves around Rektra, a rock-star scriptwriter who later resorts to fast-money sex and horror films.

As he tried to write another masterpiece, he realized he was already dead and living in his own stories.

“The film talks about the relationships between a person and their inner self in facing their fear, pushing through time and space to find the best way home,” said Tuta about his fourth film.

The script was developed by Ilya and her husband Tuta, as well as Badalu, who produced Paul Agusta’s Parts Of The Heart, selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2012, and Mouly Surya’s What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.

Being human: A scene from the trailer of ‘Everyday is a Lullaby’ shows the interaction of the main character Rektra (Anjasmara Prasetya) with Shakuntala (Raihaanun). (Courtesy of the United Team of Art/YouTube)

Rektra is played by TV star Anjasmara Prasetya, who had been absent from the entertainment industry for years. Award-winning actresses Raihaanun and Fahrani Pawaka Empel play characters named Shakuntala and Marisa, respectively. Seasoned actress Wulan Guritno and the late actor Deddy Sutomo also appear in the film.

Tuta said the editing took longer than expected as he and Filipino multi-awarded film editor Chuck Gutierrez kept changing the tone of the film.

“I always felt something was missing from the film until a friend told me that I should edit the film until there is nothing left to be edited out,” said Tuta. 

As shown in the trailer, the film is nearly silent, with the strong presence of the characters and music filling the absence of dialogue.

In charge of the cinematography is Rachmat Syaiful, who won the Asian International Film Festival and Awards in 2013 and is acknowledged for his ability to create a nocturnal tone even in indoor and daytime scenes as in Joko Anwar’s Dead Time: Kala (2007) and The Forbidden Door (2009).

Tuta said Lullaby was a character-driven story, constructed to create various points of view.

“It’s our purpose that the audience feels like they are in the film,” he said.

Ilya said that, unlike common feature films that gradually reveal the story, the film allowed a free interpretation from the audience.

“There would be no verbal explanation, no messages conveyed. To understand the film, the audience should pay attention to the details in every scene.”

The most prestigious Asian film festival returns for its 25th installment from Oct. 21 to 30, although without the usual major programs, such as Asian Content & Film Market, and for the first time aligned with the 14th Asian Film Awards.

The only Indonesian nominee for the competition this year is Gundala’s art director Wenceslaus de Rozari in the Best Production Design category, going against Lee Ha-jun for his work in Oscar-winner Parasite. (ste)

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