In Love for Sale (2018),
Andibachtiar Yusuf offers an intriguing 'companion-for-hire' premise and introduces us to Arini (Della Dartyan), the enigmatically enchanting, mysterious yet iconic character. Love for Sale's screenplay is written by Yusuf and Ramly. It tells about a lonely mature single man named Richard (Gading Marten) who attempts to overcome his desperate love life by hiring some woman of a dating app called Love Inc. whom he begins to slowly fall for later on. The storyline flows in between sorrow and melancholy; and yet the love-struck chemistry between the leads brings out an emotional engaging romantic drama. The plot pace moves absurdly slow, but having said that, it's bearable. The plot sequence's delivered well. I personally think that the original idea was good, the cinematography was done beautifully, but the drama execution (esp. the dialogues) was pretty lame nonetheless; perhaps that's due to its not-well-written script. Hence the mediocrity.
Love for Sale 2 (2019) doesn't emulate its predecessor, albeit still uses the same formula, namely the love-for-hire premise; only this time, the dimension of drama scope is broadened out around Arini's role. Arini returns in a totally different setting. The script's still written by the same duo; now it's about a 32 year-old single guy named Indra Tauhid (Adipati Dolken) who's tired of matchmaking by his mother, hires some woman's service from--the same dating app called--Love Inc. to calm his mother dismay. While the prequel focuses on a gloomy lonely man with his bittersweet game of love; this sequel concentrates on a lovely light-family-theme drama. What a surprise.
This sequel's enlivened by the role of Rosmaida (Ratna Riantiarno) as Indra's mother; the story then works even better when Arini and Rosmaida intertwine to form a heartwarming bond. Arini's hired by Indra to pretend to be someone she's not but, unexpectedly, she winds up being a solace to Indra's family. Arini's existence makes a big difference which later impacts slowly on Indra's feeling towards her. While most characters' performance are likeable, the clear standout is Arini's relationship with Indra's family.
Love for Sale 2 portrays a relatable family drama significantly. The conflicts that surround the family is basically reflections of the Indonesian family nowadays: Marriage and its problematic issues amidst Indonesian society norms. The storyline runs smoothly from start to finish. The plot pace and sequence are easy to keep up. The viewers will get to see some visual treats that are flaunted by the filmmakers, e.g. the insightful traditional wedding scene that's shot in one long take and lovely view of the city. The movie tone looks warm. Somehow, they also have managed to capture an honest nuance of the Indonesian life to the screen. The film scores are just suitable for the family theme. Kudos to the team.
Unfortunately, while all the casts got indepth character development, Arini's character remains vague. The audience's not been given any of her background information whatsoever. The film ends rather abruptly. It feels a bit rushed with poor conclusion. Audience's left with strange feeling of uncertainty. Some viewers need clarity. However, Love for Sale 2 is easily a pretty good wholesome family entertainment.
6/10
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