Position among the Stars

THE NETHERLANDS / 2010 / Indonesian / Color / Video / 111 min
Director: Leonard Retel Helmrich
www.positionamongthestars.com

The conclusion to a trilogy, filmed over 12 years, that follows an Indonesian family. Centered on a grandmother who has come from the countryside to visit her granddaughter, who has lived with her uncle’s family since the death of her parents, it briskly captures arguments between the uncle, who lacks a steady job but devotes himself to his fighting fish, and his disapproving wife, and the problem of whether the rebellious granddaughter will go to university. While skilfully touching upon religious conflict, the gap between rich and poor, and attitudinal differences between generations, this work uses fleet-footed camerawork to dramatically and humorously depict the everyday lives of ordinary people with strong familial bonds. Director Helmrich’s Promised Paradise was screened at YIDFF 2009.

• Oct. 9 CL | Oct. 11 A6