Pasir Berbisik (2001)

• Year: 2001
• Released: 18 May 2002
• Country: Indonesia, Japan
• Adwords: 8 wins & 12 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292171/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pasir_berbisik
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: Indonesian
• MPA Rating: N/A
• Genre: Drama
• Runtime: 106 min
• Writer: Nan Triveni Achnas, Rayya Makarim
• Director: Nan Triveni Achnas
• Cast: Christine Hakim, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Slamet Rahardjo
• Keywords: woman director,

7.4/10

Pasir Berbisik Storyline

Berlian and her teenage daughter Daya are on the run from political violence. Constantly daydreaming that her absent father will return, young Daya chafes under the stern hand of her mother. Forced to move inland from their seaside home to a desert of constantly shifting sands, the pair settle down to their familiar antagonism. Finally, Daya sees a vaguely familiar face shuffle in from across the wasteland.

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Pasir Berbisik Movie Reviews

A very artistic film!

Pasir Berbisik or ‘Whispering Sand’ is one of Indonesia’s traditional motivation. It is also the most Indonesian film to get critic from other countries and shown in lots of film festivals. This might not be the best Indonesian movie, but it show us the real lifestyle of Javanese people. Looking at the storyline, the movie had a pretty slow progression in the storyline. It’s a bit boring at first though and just seems like a documentary-type of film. But in the middle, the story gets more interesting. The main character in the story is Daya (Indonesia’s best actress, Diandra Paramitha Sastrowardoyo). She was the main power (even though her acting wasn’t as great as in ‘What’s Up With Love?’) in the character followed by Christine Hakim as her mother and Slamet Rahardjo as her father. Didi Peter doesn’t really get shown much in the movie, but his acting wasn’t that bad. Basically the story is about Daya who lived with her mother happily, until one night when her father came from long-time journey ruined her life. One special thing about the movie is the art. The best thing is the cinematography which shows the beauty panorama and landscape of Java. The props that were used such as the Javanese mask does also attract the audience. In some scenes, the movie does get a bit confusing. The dialogue in the movie was extremely poetic. Overall, the movie wasn’t a bad one to watch. Maybe interesting for the foreigner. I gave it 6.5/10.

Excellent (and unique) movie!

Pasir berbisik (2001), shown here as “Whispering Sands,” is a tragedy set in a landscape as alien to most of us as the moon. Impoverished Indonesians attempt to survive– and to maintain a social framework–under harsh desert conditions. The bonds of friendship and family, and the demands of loyalty and honesty, are sometimes difficult to sustain even in the U.S.

When there is little food, little water, and little evidence of legal authority, these bonds and demands tend to suffer, as do the people who live under these circumstances.

The director has managed to portray this situation in a manner understandable to moviegoers (like myself), who didn’t even realize that there *were* deserts in Indonesia.

Surely, people like me missed many of the more subtle references and nuances. Still, despite social and language barriers, this movie communicated a great deal to me.

I highly recommend it.

Summary: Piece of beauty with slight Thorn in the inside.

One of those art house films that can accentuate to a various potential, Pasir Berbisik have those potential indeed, and if you have seen it then you’ll know what i mean, a story line that develops as the film rolls, as new characters are introduced, a main character with so much things ahead for her, Damn how about a sequel for this “epic”?…”The adventure of Daya in the big city ” or “Daya; lost in Jakarta” ok enough with it, this is a film that probably captivates if you watch it once, but after that start to sink you in a turmoil of depression, maybe because the underlying theme reflects the fact that people like “them” really exist in Indonesia, The small citadels of desolated villages having to move around, and trying to make a living in the most constipated way.

I myself in a way can relate to the characters of the film (being a Chinese Indonesian, we are usually refered as the people without genuine motherland) having no particular sanctuary ground, forced by circumstances to abandon their huts finding another abandoned places, reluctantly for a mere shelter. Putting food on the plate by selling hand grinned herbs, this is the potrait of the lower class in indonesia, exist now and then (the film itself is set in the post Japanese invasion era). Naturally they wouldnt be called the lower class until they urbanize to the big cities, and they usually did so, currently Indonesia is occupied by a rough figure of 80% poverty stricken people/families.

putting, poverty and hardship aside, undelying themes in this film includes, mother and daughter relationship, Paedophilism, whilst putting exotic cultural elements in between. Director Nan Achnas no doubt worth to be called one of the most creative film maker to emerge from Indo-cinema in the past years, along with Mira Lesmana , Riri Rizal she is goes belongs to the category of what i usually called “Reformation era Artists” , for they are young and emerging in their own courageous style after the end of the Soeharto Regime.Her visuals are haunting and symbolistic, the scenes are set in a short episodical way, every incident holds its own poetical dillemas, like a Ballad of traditional story telling, in the same way of Garin Noegroho plays the structure his films *(Balada Pantun)*

Being a Joint venture of Japanese’S NHK studio collab, Pasir Berbisik flaunts a lush photography, usually a rarity in Indonesian films (good film stocks dont come cheap), real location settings in Brohmo mountains (if im not mistaken)also adds realism and memorable panoramas, even in VCD this film looks satisfyingly glossy.

a Brilliant cast for a big production art house like this is a must, so here we go with the players; Christine Hakim, one of the most powerful actress in Indonesian Film industri delivers as usual, she have embodied that strong woman panache’ since her award winning performance in Tjoet Nya Dhien(1988), Didi Petet as Suwito the trader with hidden intentions, coming from theatrical background, he manages to break his stereotype clowny affeminate role he always engange back in the old days.

Slamet Rahardjo one of Indonesia’s leading Characters actor steals his own scenes, playing an irresponsible dodgy father, watch him in a show stealing wacky scene where he shows his junk-salesman skills.

Newcomer “Model-turn-actress” Dian Sastrowardoyo,plays the free spirited-yet-caged curious Daya, although her acting is still a bit on the stiff side, she manages to pour out some emotion into her complex screen character, alas uneven, but who cares? she is a real beauty and i’m not that old to ignore that fact ..really.

Conclusion; a good film that is not too friendly with the usual majority audiences, yet if you’re a person who dwells in traditional ballad, laconic story telling then this may be your ham and cheese.

3.2 outta 5 stars.