Chasing Your Dream with Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Troops)

Hmm… another brilliant movie made by Qualified (and Film-Festival-Class) Indonesian Movie Maker.
The story brought up from a novel made by Andrea Hirata entitled Laskar Pelangi (with some adjustment and character addition). A novel that tells the story about the life of Ikal (main character), a native Belitong (Belitung, a small city in Bangka Belitung Province) and his flashback to his childhood on his journey home.

The story covers about the situation in Belitong back in the late 70s up to early 80s when he was @ elementary school. The life of Belitong poor community who weren’t afford to get their children enroll state school. Only one place could accept their children, that is Muhammadiyah Gantong Elementary, a nearly broke down (forgot the phrase, I’ll correct it later okay) and already had a warning letter that if the school didn’t get minimum number of student (10, in the story) it should be closed. but just like Ikal said,”ten is a sacred number on that day” the school get their ten and only students for the next 6 years and that’s when the story began. How the school tried to survive with only 2 teachers (3 in the beginning, but the other one left after getting better paid job), how the children explored their talent and got achievement, as well as how the cope with their own hard life, their lost, and also first love.

This film really show the reflection of Indonesian Education, Indonesian ignorance (some) on education as well as dedication and devotion on education of (some) great Indonesian people.

This film make me put (also reminds me on my early days teaching) some critical points that I wanna share:
1. “We should give more rather than expect” (last words Mr. Arfan, (the principal), told to the student before he died)
2. “This school (Muhammadiyah) is the only place where we don’t judge intelligence by material but by heart, therefore it should always exist” (Mr. Arfan told Mr. Zul, District School Supervisor, when Mr. Zul asked him why he didn’t just shut down the school)
3. “Don’t be afraid to dream and pursuing it” (told by Lintang, the smartest boy but also the person who had to give in his dream but that didn’t make him stop dreaming, when he encourage his little smart daughter)
4.Clause No. 31 article 1, Basic Act 1945 of Republic of Indonesia, “Every citizen has the right to the access of education” (this line is put in the end of the film as a reminder for Indonesian Government to work harder on Indonesian people’s welfare)

Those pointers are simple yet hard to apply.. but I pretty sure it won’t only be told but also applied.

So Indonesia, take your spouse/partner, your children, your mommy an dad, your friends and all to watch this movie. It’s worth to see and anyway, movie ticket are inexpensive these days…

See u all again @ 21.
See Indonesian Review @ http://www.21cineplex.com/laskar-pelangi,1941.htm