Ungu Violet and The Indonesian Hepburn

"Begitu sempitnya waktu, begitu besarnya cinta".

Tonight, I went to watch the hit Indonesian movie "Ungu Violet". When I was Jakarta, posters on this movie were on billboards, everywhere - it seemed to be a huge hit, for a romantic movie.

And with a cast which includes the sublime Dian Sastrowardoyo, the moody Rizky Hunggano and the veteran actress Rima Melati, (who used to act in some of our old pendekar movies back in the 1970s) it looked promising.

Overall, it wasn't a half-bad movie - there were parts which I felt that could have been done better, to make it less dragging (like French films - full of subtle and meaningful silences) but the sheer strength of the acting by the leads, gave life to a somewhat simple plot.

And as it typical of Indonesian movies nowadays - the camera work is dynamic and refreshing - each shot was like a portrait, captured in time. Combined with compelling background music and good music tracks, it kept you focused on the storyline.

And parts of it, were surprisingly daring - especially the kissing scenes.

Dian Sastro (of the runaway teenage hit "Ada Apa Dengan Cinta" fame) once again proves why she's Indonesia's darling and certainly, in my eyes, an Indonesian version of Audrey Hepburn. She manages to roll out innocence, elegance and understated but brimming sexuality at the same time, in different parts of her role.

When Dian Sastro acts, there are movie moments which are absolute gems that could only come from her expressions and interpretation of that role. It's more than just beauty - it's how that beauty is combined with a whole lot of talent, which creates a much loved character, that the audience would root for.

Rizky Hunggano did not perform too badly, either. Despite the scene with the doctor being a little flat, one could peek into the conflicts in his soul, from his facial expressions. Rima Melati showed why experience counts - when she played the limited scenes she had as Dian's grandma, to full effect.

One line which particularly caught me, was in a scene where Dian Sastro and Sharifah Zifa were acting as two rich and successful magazine models, that were discussing marriage and the man that the former, should end up with.

Dian asked Sharifah whether is it not right for her to wait for a Prince Charming that loves her and that she loves in return, too (instead of marrying someone she clearly did not love). To which Sharifah (or her character's name, Herlina) replied: "Kamu fikir mungkin ada lelaki yang berani dekat pada kamu, dengan hanya ketulusan hatinya saja?"

I think a lot of successful women could relate to this, in modern-day Asian society.

The romance could have been elaborated on, a bit more. Character development and the interplay between the major characters, could have been deeper - if it wasn't trying to imitate French films too much. But watch out for the twist, at the end.

Overall, 3 out 5 stars, for this Ungu Violet. It's entertaining. For the boys, it's worth watching, just for Dian Sastro alone. :)

Will now go hunting for the soundtrack - I think it'll be well worth the buy.