Babi buta yang ingin terbang
blind pigs who wants to fly
Indonesian film
In 2008 an (arthouse) film directed by Edwin, was released showing the position of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia called 'Babi buta yang ingin terbang' (Blind pigs who wants to fly). The title refers to an illusion, for something that will never happen.
In The Hollywood Reporter, the filmcritic Maggie Lee has said the following about the film:
"Edwin is a household name in the Indonesian experimental and short film circuit. His works, showcased in Cannes and other top festivals, are at times idiosyncratic to the point of visionary and at other times just darn weird. His debut feature, “Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly,” which is a personal interpretation of the experience of being Indonesian Chinese, is no less out-of-this-world.
What do Linda who gobbles firecrackers like hotdogs, Opa the elderly pool player who changed his name three times, Verawati the retired national badminton player who makes dumplings all day, Halim the polygamous dentist who wants to convert to Islam and the blind pig tied to a pole have in common? They come from the same family, and symbolize facets of an ethnic minority that doesn’t want to be Chinese but can’t become fully integrated as Indonesians either.
Edwin feels that it is a mind-set so abstract and internalized it can’t be conveyed in a conventional story-driven narrative. Using a fragmented structure with tableaux-like scenes, he describes a collective subconscious of anxiety, denial and wishful thinking. However, he provides no cultural crutches to help a foreign audience pick up the oblique references.''
Edwin gave an indepth interview about his film to Tony Rayns.
This may be the only fictional movie about ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, so it is rather unique.
Here's a trailer of the film.
In 2008 an (arthouse) film directed by Edwin, was released showing the position of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia called 'Babi buta yang ingin terbang' (Blind pigs who wants to fly). The title refers to an illusion, for something that will never happen.
In The Hollywood Reporter, the filmcritic Maggie Lee has said the following about the film:
"Edwin is a household name in the Indonesian experimental and short film circuit. His works, showcased in Cannes and other top festivals, are at times idiosyncratic to the point of visionary and at other times just darn weird. His debut feature, “Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly,” which is a personal interpretation of the experience of being Indonesian Chinese, is no less out-of-this-world.
What do Linda who gobbles firecrackers like hotdogs, Opa the elderly pool player who changed his name three times, Verawati the retired national badminton player who makes dumplings all day, Halim the polygamous dentist who wants to convert to Islam and the blind pig tied to a pole have in common? They come from the same family, and symbolize facets of an ethnic minority that doesn’t want to be Chinese but can’t become fully integrated as Indonesians either.
Edwin feels that it is a mind-set so abstract and internalized it can’t be conveyed in a conventional story-driven narrative. Using a fragmented structure with tableaux-like scenes, he describes a collective subconscious of anxiety, denial and wishful thinking. However, he provides no cultural crutches to help a foreign audience pick up the oblique references.''
Edwin gave an indepth interview about his film to Tony Rayns.
This may be the only fictional movie about ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, so it is rather unique.
Here's a trailer of the film.
