Position Among the Stars (2010) User Reviews

Funny, troubling and familiar...a great film about Indonesia and universal themes.

[huaiyen · 9/10 · 24 January 2012]

I'm not going to debate whether or not this is a "documentary." Because there must obviously be some scripting, in some ways it probably more closely resembles (shudder) so-called reality TV. But I don't mean to denigrate it in any way by that observation. Essentially, this film is the third in a trilogy that follows a three-generation family over the course of many years, documenting their little and big squabbles and the events that unfold in their lives.

Without getting too much into the plot, this third film's focus seems to be on Tari, the granddaughter who is graduating from high school. It's true that some of the characters aren't 100% likable, but really, who is always likable? Having watched all three films, I found it interesting how most of the characters didn't change at all - the exception being Tari.

van de Sterren has the eye of a photographer coupled with the soul of a storyteller. There's definitely a very composed look to each shot and often it is very breathtaking and vivid. He also seamlessly weaves together related stories/vignettes with beautiful visual transitions so that the whole film feels like a coherent whole despite there not really being a traditional plot. I really loved how there would often be a visual comparison between the human behavior & then cut to a similar insect or animal behaviors. I found this to be not only very tongue-in-cheek but also a nice way to provide a very subtle commentary without talking down to the audience. His humor provided a nice contrast to some of the grim, depressing realities of life in Indonesia.

I lived in Jakarta many years ago and the film is very true-to-life. In fact, it brought back not only memories, but the cadence, smells and ethos of the country. Impressive.

an intimate, accurate but disturbing portrayal of life in Jakarta

[dennisne · 8/10 · 14 April 2014]

The camera work was superlative. It felt like a genuine and intimate portrayal of life in Jakarta. Although it really made me question the line between being a mere fly-on-the-wall observer (and thus providing a more authentic picture), and being an active participant. Most (perhaps all) the scenes involved incredibly tragic abuse and ignorance, including abusive psychological pressure to obey a religion (either the grandmother's Christianity, or the father's Islam), a hell-like hair-raising male circumcision scene, physical assault against an innocent girl for being too close to a boy (I'm not sure how the camera-man didn't intervene), rampant political corruption, and general disregard for education (they prefer watching fighting fish on TV, rather than learning to use a gas stove or other more prudent studies). But such lifestyles are still the norm throughout the world, not just in Indonesia, so the film serves as important documentary evidence of the present state of our species.

Documentary, really?

[estronbase · 5/10 · 8 December 2011]

"Stand van de Sterren" means "Position of the Stars" not "Position among the Stars".

I would not call this a documentary. I mean the scenes are obviously set up and acted. For example: A boy takes some shirts and runs through the alleyways followed by the camera. But as he turns into a street, the camera rises up above the rooftops to follow him running into the distance. Maybe my own expectations that a documentary should portray true events is too narrow, I don't know.

I found the selfishness displayed by some of the characters depressing. The inability of others to recognize this behavior for what it was could only be explained by stupidity. This is not my idea of entertainment but, of course, this is a documentary.

I read that this film has won the IDA-Humanitas Award so it must be a good representation of life in the slums of Jakarta. Or maybe it was the final touching scene, which makes you think about what is really important, that earned the prize.