The Dutch documentary State of the stars by Leonard Retel Helmrich will open the 23rd editite of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) on 17 November, it was announced yesterday. The film is also included in the competition for best feature-length documentary.
State of the Stars is the third part of a triptych in which Retel Helmrich follows the fortunes of an ordinary Indonesian family against the backdrop of the country's turbulent political developments.
Leonard Retel Helmrich (Tilburg, 1959) decided 20 years ago to go to Indonesia, his parents' homeland, for inspiration. He not only became fascinated by the country but also became very involved. After filming a demonstration, he was deported from the country in 1995 on suspicion of espionage. Two years later, he returned and started following the life of the widow Rumidjah and her two sons with his camera. This resulted in 2002 in the lyrical, filmed in pure cinema vérité style - i.e. without commentary, interviews or other interventions - Position of the sun.
For this, Retel Helmrich developed a very personal, intuitive way of filming characterised by long shots with a camera moving freely through space and between people. Not following a preconceived plan, but, as it were, following the cadence of events.
The sequel Position of the moon was IDFA's opening film in 2004 and was awarded the IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary (then called the Joris Ivens Award).
At State of the stars we see how the brisk grandmother Rumidjah and her son Bakti hope that granddaughter Tari can be the first in the family to go to college. The girl, meanwhile, has become an unruly adolescent, mainly interested in shopping and boys, while elsewhere in the country preachers are calling for the introduction of Sharia law. (LB)
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