Position Among the Stars

For 12 years, director Leonard Retel Helmrich has followed the Sjamsuddin family from the Jakarta slum. Position Among the Stars is the last film in the trilogy about them. Corruption, religious conflicts, gambling addiction, generation gaps and the enormous differences between rich and poor in the family mirror Indonesia’s challenges. Through the eyes of grandmother Rumidjah we see how globalisation affects the lives of her granddaughter Tari and her sons Bakti and Dwi. Helmrich’s special camera technique and the absence of interviews or voice-over will bring you closer to Indonesia than you thought was possible on film. red