Don't look at me that way. Yes, I watched the movie. It was last Monday, and it seems like I still can't move on from that. Well, I actually do. But the movie brings many thoughts that bother me. As a '90s kids of course I watched the first movie AADC. I was as old as Cinta's character in the movie: at my last year in high school. The simple story plot and the natural acts made this a good movie. They were the trend that brought back passion in cinema life to Indonesia filmmakers. Plus, unlike other quality romance drama movies that I watch that mostly came from Hollywood, this movie sets in the familiar city that I've lived in. But I didn't have a life anywhere near Cinta's so the movie wasn't really memorable to me.
So when they were so hyped with the sequel--14 years later--I wasn't really eager to watch it, too. But eventually, after hearing so many testimonials from friends, and that I got a free movie ticket, I watched it anyway. And, as everybody else who watched this, I was emotional too. Perhaps because Cinta's life is more applicable to my life: an person of art, single in her 30s, traces of past love that can't seem to be done, my love for both cities Jakarta and Yogyakarta, and all other details in the movie that are close to my life. I even watch the AADC movie again to make a comparison.
What I noticed is that they care about every single details that I often found in most Indonesian movies that sometimes don't make sense at all or not applicable in daily Indonesian life. For example, they repeat some details from the AADC in AADC2: the phrase Cinta said about how annoying Rangga is when he's confused; the expression of "Lalu?" (and then?) they both shared of asking the next step; the way Cinta erased her bight-coloured lipstick before both dates with Rangga; the speeding up on the highway to the airport and the "failed" effort to relive the scene in the airport (which is a good thing)... Although you don't really notice them at first, if you watch both movies in an adjacent time you'll appreciate these details more. And the most important thing is the same people behind the soundtrack music, that strengthened the character of the movie.
Through this sequel I got to reflect on my own love life in the past 14 years. Unlike Cinta, I don't have a Rangga figure in my life. But I saw how much progress I had made. All the mistakes in my life, the stupid things we did in the name of love, or the pride we held that kept us from love.. I guess just like Cinta and Rangga who are more mature than how they reacted in AADC, we also have wiser ways to settle for things in life.
As a fan of the movie, I also regret the fact that Dian Sastro didn't end up marrying Nicholas Saputra. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wish for that. But also I realized that Dian Sastro is not Cinta, and Nicholas Saputra is not Rangga. It's just that the filmmakers are so good at delivering perfect scenes that makes us convinced that this story could be real. (And if you do this could be real, stop that thought now. It isn't real. Don't daydream about it because it's a made up story. But if you want to get something out of it, take the lessons instead).
So I guess the fever of AADC2 will soon be over as the movie is taken out from the theatres. As real life is happening now, we need to get back and focus on our lives now. But good thing about movies are the messages they are giving us. Through the wide screen at least we can try reflecting by looking at our own lives in different perspective, to appreciate every little detail (as how I admire how detailed the movie is done for Indonesian production), and perhaps to give soundtrack to our daily life for the fun of it. At least watching this movie triggered me to writing poems again... Thank you, AADC2 team! (;
