Before, Now & Then
The late 1960s, Indonesia. Nana cannot escape her past. Poverty-stricken, having lost her family to the war in West Java, she marries again and begins a new life. But the past lives on in her dreams. Her new husband is wealthy and Nana has been afforded some material comforts, but her place in the home is menial, and he is unfaithful. She suffers in silence until the day she meets, Ino, one of her husband’s mistresses and everything changes. Incongruously, Ino is someone she can trust, someone who offers her comfort and to whom she can confide her secrets, past and present. Together, the two women find the hope of new freedom.
Set against the backdrop of growing anti-Communist sentiments of 1960s Indonesia, Before, Now & Then focuses on the particular hardships that women are forced to endure in the face of political unrest and proves Andini to be one of the most promising Indonesian directors to emerge in recent years.
Cast
- Happy Salma
- Laura Basuki
- Arswendy Bening Swara
- Ibnu Jamil
- "Andini captures complex female emotions and relationships in nuanced and fascinating detail, as well as the secrets we all keep, whether in knotted buns or not. Subtly stirring, it’s a sensitively crafted, immersive cinematic experience that lingers on the senses well after the credits roll."
- "Aesthetic flourishes... betray Wong Kar-Wai’s influence on “Before, Now & Then” and elevate it ... to the intoxicating sensory experience it is."
- "A precisely calibrated, emotionally nuanced exploration of one woman going through a mid-life crisis in rural Indonesia during the 1960s that both looks and sounds stunning thanks to above-and-beyond craft contributions."
- "It’s a handsomely mounted period piece, which acknowledges the strength required by previous generations of Indonesian women to rise above the patriarchal demands of a restrictive society."
- "It offers rewards in its resplendent filmmaking while smartly examining the nuances of the feminine experience."
- "Drawing a number of deeply felt performances from her cast, it is an aching period piece...."
- "Before, Now & Then is a very carefully wrought arthouse film... wreathed in poetic melancholy and never less than beautiful; Batara Goempar’s cinematography belongs to another era of soft lamplight, rich shadows and glowing fabrics."
- "Writer/director Kamila Andini adapts Ahda Imran’s biographical Jais Darga Namaku into a stirring vignette of a woman’s crossroaded, multifaceted existence as a survivor, mother, wife and businesswoman. [T]hrough Salma’s masterful performance, Nana’s psychological discomfort is inviting and empathetic...."
- "[A] gorgeous, complex, and wonderfully melancholy film from Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini. "
Gallery
Fourcolours Films.jpg)
Awards & Recognition
Silver Bear - Best Supporting Performance
Berlin Int'l. Film Festival
Best Film
Asia-Pacific Screen Awards
Jury Prize
Brussels Int'l. Film Festival
Golden Bear
Berlin Int'l. Film Festival
Best Film
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Best Director
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Best Performance
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Best Cinematography
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Best Film
Sydney Film Festival
Taipei Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
You May Also Like...
