synopsis

In “The Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly” you will find stories about disoriented identity, hesitation and anxiety, the experience of being lost. Those are the feelings of being Chinese in Indonesia.

A story about a father lusting to win a green card lottery.

A story about an ex-national badminton champion whose husband leaves her for a Javanese wife.

A story of a boy always pelted with stones because everybody thinks that he is a Chinese.

A story about a young girl who believes that firecrackers expel ghosts.

Set amidst in contemporary urban Indonesia, the film will follow Linda’s journey in discovering herself. Portraying her reality and her deserted emotions furthermore the people surrounds her.

Like a mosaic, this film is built from the pieces of broken colorful glasses. Fragile yet beautiful.

director's statement

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly speaks of hope. The feelings and the journey to fulfil one’s hope, and all of the other feelings that come out of that journey itself; hopes that can never be truly completed and that can never be more than just hopes. A hope not to be the blind pig who wants to fly. A hope not to be Chinese in Indonesia.

This is a story of identity search. Since we were little, we were told to be nationalistic, to be a true Indonesian. Whether it means to kill our roots. And killing our root means killing our emotion and killing our emotion means killing our self.

How should we, in reality, really know how to be a true Indonesian? Or whether it is necessary at all to be a true Indonesian...?

characters

The Mother who was a national badminton champion (Verawati) was Indonesia’s front runner in their national badminton team, the representative of the nation. She grew disappointed as the nation keep on questioning whether she is Chinese or Indonesian. At the beginning of 1980, in a grand final of world championship against China, a little boy shouts out, questioning, which one is the Indonesian player? He thinks they physically look the same. From that moment, she decided to stop playing….

The Father who is a blind dentist (Halim) hopes by becoming a husband of an ex Indonesian badminton champion, his life as an Indonesian would be easier. All he wants is for him and his family to get green cards then move and live in America. A few years earlier, he experimented on his eyes to make it look wider. He wears sunglasses since…

Linda is the daughter; she couldn’t care less about her parents up tights. All she wants is to find her friend who shared her passion on firecrackers and felt the same ways as her about its beauty. He was her childhood friend, but they lost touch since his parents moved him to a different area. She lost her spirit since…

Old Opa (grandfather) enjoys life immensely. With his friends, he awaits death playing pools, with laughter and high spirit...

The Japanese Manadonese best friend (Cahyono), since he was little always need to stress to everyone around him, that he is not Chinese, not Menadonese, but Japanese. He works as an editor of a television crime show. He found his childhood friend in an audition of a reality show...

Two powerful dentistry patients (Helmi and Yahya) are ex bureaucrats, who like to play with uniforms. They can be hostile only when ‘a situation’ occurs. They promise green card to Halim and helped Halim’s family from mass attack on the chaotic and looting event of 1998.

The beautiful Native Nurse (Salma), is a beautiful Indonesian lady. She is determined and knows exactly what she wants, to be a pop star.

A Blind Pig who wants to fly

All characters intertwine in their own ways.

Opa and Linda. Opa is the 2nd generation of Indonesian Chinese descent, born in Indonesia. He lives happily in his nest, communes with his Chinese friends and never asks about his identity. He is enjoying his life as a non-Indonesian in Indonesia. Opa, Linda’s grandfather, was the one who taught Linda how to appreciate the beauty of firecrackers.

Mother and Father, are husband and wife of the 3rd generation of Indonesian Chinese descent, born in Indonesia. They face pressure about their identity the most. They struggle for their existence, try to blend in and ‘becomes Indonesian’. They will do almost everything to fit in and survive.

They meet Salma, a beautiful woman who is later become a nurse and a second wife; Helmi and Yahya, family friends who they can rely on, who later ask a return for a favour.

Dentist, Nurse, 2 Dentistry patients. Halim’s insecurity and Salma’s physical attraction, they meet somewhere in the middle. Her appearance makes Halim thinks that if he can marry Salma and convert to Moslem, maybe his life would be at ease.

Salma is willing to marry Halim only in the hope that she can get close to Helmi and Yahya, who she believes can turn her into a pop star…

Helmi and Yahya are the ex bureaucrats, the man in uniform, the man of power.

They would be more than delightful to help; in return of having a sex journey together. An unavoidable agreement.

Linda and her best friend are childhood friends; they take good care of each other and unite in their hideaways. His mother separated them. She is afraid that being in a Chinese community would turn him into Chinese. Only with Cahyono, Linda finds freedom.

To be herself.

Linda, the 4th generation of Indonesian Chinese descent, born in Indonesia, is having identity disorientation. She observes the interactions between Chinese and Indonesian.

Set amidst contemporary of urban Indonesia, Linda happens to be the one who witnesses the oddness of being Chinese; the happy Opa, the hesitant father, the empty mother, the determined nurse, the powerful uniforms, and the harmless Japanese.

Little by little all the happening eats her up. Her existence.