Requiem from Java (2006) - full transcript

Setyo (Martinus Miroto) and Siti (Artika Sari Dewi) are young married couple with a classic domestic issue: communication. With their earthenware business comes close to going bankrupt, Setyo's ever determined efforts to make ends meet often make Siti feels lonely. Their alienation to each other is worsened by the presence of Ludiro (Eko Supriyanto), a spoiled character from the local wealthy family who is used to having all his wishes granted. In the spirit of the (Javanese) Ramayana epic, the story tells about what it takes to win Siti's heart.

This film is a version of the
Abduction of Sinta.

Often dramatized in Javanese dance and
puppet theatre.

In the story, the kings Rama and
Rahwana..,..

..,..both love Sinta and fight over her.

At the end, Rama puts Sinta to the
test of fire.

To prove her love and purity..,..

In a pig's liver one can see an entire
life.

You can read anyone's fate in a pig's
liver.

Life, death, and love are all mixed
together!

This is the story of Dewi Sinta..,..

Hear nowthe story of Dewi Sinta..,..



Men everywhere have vied for her heart.

Since the beginning of time!

From our ancestor Adam right up to
Adam Smith!

Everyone wants to knowwhat really
happened.

But no two people ever agree on the
whole truth.

Everyone thinks that their version is
right..,..

That's howit is!
Oh..,.. Hear nowthe story of Dewi Sinta.

This is the story of Dewi Sinta!

When your mind is fitful and uneasy..,..

It is as if you were..,..

At a play put on..,..

In a madhouse..,..

Every utterance..,..

Broken by stuttering..,..



Full of awkwardness..,..

Unpolished..,..

Disorganized, errant..,..

Ever since our land became barren..,..

..,..we have been like Rama and Sinta

They were banished from their own
homeland!

All that remains to us is
faithfulness..,..

..,..hope and love..,..

I am of my mother's flesh and blood!

Her mind shaped my body!

Her blood made me great!

I am the ruler of the world!

Whosoever should oppose my wishes..,..

..,..my commerce or my power..,..

Shall perish!

Thy blood shall spill forth and drench
the earth!

You scum!

Just because you have power..,..

You terrorize everyone!

Howhave I wonged you that you
torment me?

And leave me smeared in blood?

Unmindfully greedy!

You hoard everything for yourself!

Man, life..,..

Man, fear..,..

Man, power..,..

Man, blood..,..

Man, wounds..,..

Please watch the house and guard my
wife..,..

I am off to sell my wares.

Forget not that danger lurks
everywhere..,..

..,..in this life of ours.

Our work is light.

But in our defeat..,..

..,..we have naught to protect save our
faithfulness.

An oxcart cannot be hurried.

Whipping the oxen will only bring them
to a halt..,..

Rickety-rack, rickety-rack..,..

"Like the very essence of devotion..,.. "

"..,.. you must work with absolute
conviction".

"The more secure you feel, the more
care you must take".

Those were his treasured words.

If you truly seek her love..,..

..,..learn what pleases her

Knowher mind!

Your son loves Siti..,..

She who used to dance the role of
Sinta.

But, ever faithful, she no longer
dances..,..

..,..out of respect for her husband.

Dance is but a body suffused with life.

Weave her a dance scarf, as wide as a
bedstead..,..

And as long as the road of life..,..

As pure as her heart..,..

This I beg of you..,..

My beloved Siti..,..

Agree to dance..,..

Please accept Master Ludiro's
invitation

Ludiro has bestowed money and goods..,..

Upon my children and grandchildren..,..

Forgive me for asking this of you..,..

But I can no longer survive as a
gamelan player.

And work is so scarce..,..

I am undone!

Unable to tell right from wong!

To tell sinner from saint!

I am like flotsam in the river.

O Lord, protect me, thy humble
servant!

My lovely earthenware jar..,..

..,..howl cherish it!

Singing and dancing have sustained..,..

..,..my children and grandchildren.

But life has become so hard.

To what avail are my tears?

My lady, what is to become of me?

The market for earthenware has
crashed!

What should I do?

My children go hungry..,..

Better I should seek other work.

A tray pilled high with steamed
cassava delicacies..,..

..,..all topped with a smidgen of grated
coconut.

Pop them into your mouth!

Nowbob your neck from side to side!

Give your wist a flick!

Move with the rhythm of gamelan..,..

A tray pilled high with steamed
cassava delicacies..,..

..,..all topped with a smidgen of grated
coconut

Pop them into your mouth!

Nowbob your neck from side to side!

Give your wist a flick!

Move with the rhythm of gamelan..,..

A tray pilled high with steamed
cassava delicacies..,..

..,..all topped with a smidgen of grated
coconut.

Pop them into your mouth!

Nowbob your neck from side to side!

Give your wist a flick!

Move with the rhythm of gamelan..,..

Oh, my God!

My Almighty Lord!

When overcome by their lusts..,..

..,..humans are no more than beasts!

The horse, prancing and galloping,
resist my reins.

I looked back hesitantly at my beloved.

Gripped by pangs of longing.

Her sleeping body is like a corpse!

A talisman for my impending battle, an
echo of my love..,..

The long long sugarcane.

Separate them into five.

All wapped in an old carpets.

Why are men always so contrary!

I'd be better offwithout him.

Why are men always so contrary!

I'd be better offwithout him.

Birds are fluttering aloft.

My little pumpkin..,..

..,..let me bounce you on my knee.

My little pumpkin..,..

..,..to whom I sing my lullaby.

The prenjak bird is still there.

Down comes the ceiling on our heads.

Ah! That feels good!

Nini Thowok, the magic puppet, gives a
massage.

A bird, like a bird, not a bird.

Fa la la la.

I cannot move!

The whisperings of my heart entrap me!

Would that I could ignore them!

I must remain strong..,..

Lord, give me strength!

If I betray him, what will become of
me?

I am like a gnat to the flame!

Like rice mashed to gruel!

Powder on a beaten brow!

Your charms are irresistible!

Go quickly and check up on my wife.

For I knownot..,..

..,..in my difficult situation.

Is there still love?

Is there still faithfulness?

Is my place in her heart intact?

Down with exploitation!

Wipe out poverty!

Down with exploitation! Wipe out
poverty!

Down with exploitation! Wipe out
poverty!

Down with exploitation! Wipe out
poverty!

When I muse upon these times..,..

Well, everything is so hazy..,..

It's all so confusing..,..

The wealthy are on the alert..,..

The poor are on the verge..,..

Everyone is bewildered..,..

All are ready to fight.

Day is this, night is that..,..

Who should I follow?

The noose is tightening.

No strength to think.

Trapped on all sides.

When will our loyalty be repaid?

Unrest and fighting have broken out
across the region.

There are reported cases of homicide
and arson.

Umbul Makmur villagers set fire to
their local police station.

They cited their disappointment that
the police..,..

..,..had failed to curb the abuses of a
local businessman.

He allegedly organized rioters to help
him seize others' business.

The owner of the seized business are
equally critical of the police

They claim the authorities turned a
blind eye to the culprits

Whereas they believe they themselves
have followed the letter of law

25 people are reported dead, and 64
wounded

Pe i nAkat suki
sebu ah-d ongen g. b log s p ot.c o m

My riches fill warehouses

But they bring me no joy

I held my love in my fist

But she's gone, lost, gone

Why is my heart so stricken?

No matter what, I love her!

My fire is burnt out

My sperm sparkles in the heavens!

Release the ox from the cart..,..

..,..and sell it to the butcher

I can no longer afford..,..

..,..to go on working the land

My wilting heart cries out..,..

Sobbing, morning, noon and night..,..

Despairing, overcome by misfortune

In my heart, the darkness grows

Oh wetched, wetched me!

Overcome by misfortune..,..

Stand straight, grasp the scarf
between two fingers

Stomach in, chest forward, this will
please the eye

Legs in a graceful half-crouch, head
swung to the side

Hand to the ear, darting on quick
ankle steps

My son, why do you return to your
mother?

I cradled you when you were a baby

You took your first steps on my lap

But nowyou must find yourself a woman

In whose embrace you can be a man

Alas, mother..,..

My heart desires only one woman

Am I being punished?

That I can possess her..,..

But cannot win her heart?

Take advantage of others

Focus your thoughts on yourself!

And soon..,..

..,..there will be nothing in your mind..,..

..,..except the will to dominate.

When you fully master yourself..,..

..,..you will rule the earth, the seas and
the heavens.

"Like the very essence..,..

"..,..of devotion".

I bought you the longest cloth.

I stole the biggest bed.

To prove that I love you!

More than anything in this world!

The red cloth I bought for you..,..

..,..has the power to help me win you.

Because my love will never die.

As long as there's someone to sing
this silly song..,..

..,..my passion will always last.

I got you the biggest bed..,..

At the stroke of three, unable to
sleep..,..

The full moon illuminating the
grounds..,..

Sitting alone with my thoughts..,..

Buffeted with the damp wind..,..

My heart goes chilly.

So utterly alone in the world..,..

..,..am I

No brother, no sister, no cousin.

Here I suffer on this marble slab.

My poor soul! My poor body!

My love for you..,..

..,..is like my love for the earth.

You are the finest earth..,..

..,..and so I have chosen you.

I'm not mere earth, but earth
quickened with human life.

I'm not earth infused with oil..,..

..,..and I'm not earth that yields crops.

Nor am I earth that is holy..,..

..,..nor earth to be fought for in battle.

I'm made as a human who can thinks!

Who has hands, who has feet!

They've made fools of us, like water
buffalo.

Led into mire, whipped into obedience..,..

That's why we're so poor..,..

..,..driven into early graves.

We're just water buffalo, on our last
legs..,..

Spent, wasted, paralyzed..,..

But remember this!

Water buffalo have horns!

We're well equipped to fight!

So let's band together..,..

Snort your breath! Let your eyes glow
red with rage!

Cock your horns! Kick your hooves!

Let our shared will be our strength!

Then, incinerate! Annihilate!

Kill!

Concentrate! Be attentive!

Hey ho! Hey ho! Ready and willing to
fight!

Down with exploitation, wipe out
poverty!

Be of one mind! Redouble your
determination!

Be organized! Finish whatever you
start!

Mama, I want to come back to your womb.

Even at the cost of nine months cut
off from the world.

Mama, when a goat goes out in the
morning looking for leaves to eat..,..

..,..it comes home it the evening.

But my life is like a dried-out leaf!

Blown here and there by the wind..,..

..,..landing God knows where!

I want to come back

Come back to your womb, to your womb
again.

Friends, I'm worried..,..

My eardrums quiver with rage..,..

..,..when they hear the drums of war.

And yet these same eardrums long for a
peaceful life.

Troops, everybody ready? Yeah!

Our prayers will crush the Evil One!

All together! Ready!

Down with exploitation! Wipe out
poverty!

Down with exploitation! Wipe out
poverty!

When comes the time of fallow earth..,..

Of death and dust and barren land..,..

Just as it was for Rama and Sinta..,..

Who no longer recognized their world..,..

What remains is faithfulness..,..

Praises and prayers woven with love.

And yet one may as well wait..,..

..,..for stones to float on water.

Only God is almighty.

When comes the time of fallow earth..,..

Of death and dust and barren land..,..

Just as it was for Rama and Sinta..,..

Who no longer recognized their world..,..

What remains is faithfulness..,..

Praises and prayers woven with love.

And yet one may as well wait..,..

..,..for stones to float on water.

Only God is almighty.

I am mother, the earth that has been
ploughed.

Parted, broken and spread.

Composted, flooded with blood,
irrigated with tears.

Prayers for all the children..,..

This box encloses the thousand roles
of my life.

Cleverness becomes power.

Prayers become threats.

Disempowerment becomes anger.

Strength becomes force.

Siti is my name.

I am earth tilled by the plough.

There is no guile in me.

I am replete with blessings.

In me grow crops.

I, Siti, am praised.

In me growflowers and rice.

Fragrance emanate from me.

Delighting the heart.

Providing sustenance.

You are the esteemed Setyo.

Seek your fortune!

Till whatever land you can find..,..

..,..to give life to humankind.

Although men have chests..,..

..,..they have no breast.

With which to feed their children

To breast-feed the children..,..

Ultimately, their lives are
unfulfilled.

I miss the kiss of your lips..,..

..,..which opens to your heart.

I miss the bliss of your breast..,..

..,..to hear the beat of your love.

The sign of motion in your heart..,..

Oh heart, which I have missed!

Now, you are silent!

You are blind, you are numb.

You are just a red shape.

You are the setting of a dispute.

An object without boundaries.

Oh, heart! Heart!

Scream!

Speak!

Setyo, head of a family in the village
of Umbul Makmur..,..

..,..has been arrested by the police.

He is charged with the murders of
Ludiro, and his own wife, Siti

He subsequently cut Siti's heart from
her body.

It seems that he denies any wongdoing.

He claims to have been motivated by
jealousy..,..

..,..and also blames the climate of
lawlessness in the village.

As the police took him into custody..,..

..,..he called out to the villagers..,..

..,..saying "In my heart lies justice"

Everlasting rest.

Grantest them, O Lord.

May perpetual light.

Shine upon them.

As upon Thy saints in eternity

for Thou art merciful.

Cleverness becomes power.

Prayers become threats.

Disempowerment becomes anger.

Strength becomes force.

Cleverness becomes power.

Prayers become threats.

Disempowerment becomes anger.

Strength becomes force.

My heart cries out, oh Lord!

Bring us two together body and soul..,..

In mutual love, understanding and
respect..,..

This film is a requiem..,..

For the victims of violence and
natural disasters throughout the world..,..

Especially for those in Yogyakarta and
Central Java..,..