Movie Review Garasi (2006)

 

Garasi | 2006 | 1h 50m
Genre: Drama/Music/Romance | Country: Indonesia
Director: Agung Sentausa | Writers: Prima Rusdi
Cast: Fedi Nuril, Ayu Ratna, Aries Budiman
IMDB: 6.4
My Rate: 7/10

Gaia, Aga, and Awan, who agree to play music together under the band name 'Garasi', are faced with love conflicts between them, and Gaia's past resurfaces, putting their band's future at stake.

Warning:

Contains sensual scenes, smoking, violence, and strong language.

 

Synopsis:

Gaia (Ayu Ratna) is a vocalist in a band. But she never stays in one band for a long time. Some internal conflicts, like love stories between band members, often trigger fights and breakups. This makes Gaia feel weary and she chooses to leave.

Aga (Fedi Nuril) is a member of a traditional music family. But he prefers modern music, which makes Aga distance himself from his family and also causes conflict with his brother. Aga accidentally sees Gaia's performance and is attracted to her.

Awan (Aries Budiman), upon returning from Japan, immediately meets Aga to invite him to realize their dream of making music again. Awan previously followed his family to move to Japan. But his soul is still left behind in Indonesia. Until he decides to return home and pursue his dream.

An accidental meeting occurs between Aga and Gaia, where Gaia's regular music store sells her ordered cassette to Aga because Gaia never picks it up. Aga gives Gaia a condition before giving her the cassette. Aga asks Gaia to try playing music with him and Awan.

Their first time playing together makes Gaia feel like she's found her musical soul again. They decide to continue the project and find a place to perform. But, as their popularity increases, conflict arises. The conflict occurs mainly because Aga is jealous of the closeness between Gaia and Awan, after Gaia previously rejected Aga's feelings. Other conflicts involving Gaia's past also become a boomerang that threatens the continuity of their band.

Will Garasi be able to survive and return to its glory?

 

Review:

In the year this film was released, music bands were very popular among young music lovers. So, the story idea that explores the lives of band kids is a pretty brilliant idea to realize. The story development is done pretty well and the conflicts presented are also familiar with reality. The foundation of each character's background and problems is also presented well and balanced, so it becomes a whole that can be enjoyed. Although it could actually be explored further to make the story more interesting.

The acting of the actors is pretty good, although Ayu Ratna still looks stiff, considering this is her first film debut. Ayu Ratna previously participated in the Indonesian Idol audition, unfortunately she couldn't continue the audition due to health reasons. Indra Lesmana, one of the judges, felt that Ayu Ratna's talent in music had potential that was too good to miss. So, he asked his sister, Mira Lesmana, who was working on a film project, to audition Ayu and make her one of the actors in the film.

Regardless of that, the chemistry between the actors is built very well. There's no dialogue that's wasted. Everything is presented according to its proportion. The choice of clothing style is also in line with the trendy style at that time, 'Emo Style'. Although many new generations might not be familiar with this style.

The advantage of this film, because the actors are musicians, they can convey the storyline well and also present impressive music and songs. Many famous musicians also took part as supporting actors in this film. Even the soundtrack songs sung in this film are the work of the main actors and Andy Ayunir, and they received a good reception from the public.

The scene when Garasi performs in front of the audience is a very interesting scene. Viewers of this film feel like they're really experiencing the atmosphere of a real performance. All the components show that this film wasn't made carelessly. The dedication of the production and the actors is clearly visible.

The success of the band project actually continued in the real world. The band has survived until now, although there have been several personnel changes. Especially Ayu, who at that time could no longer be the vocalist due to her busy schedule. Although they finally reunited in 2023.

This film is perfect for cinephiles who like films with music or band themes. You definitely won't regret watching it. We can see their skills and love for music.

 

Memorable Scene:

Aga takes Gaia to his hideaway, which Aga usually uses to contemplate and be alone. In this scene, we can feel the complex feelings felt and kept by each character. Even though there isn't much conversation, the expressions shown have shown everything.

 

Memorable Dialogue:

"Our music is too important to us."

 

Ending:

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation:

Worth to watch

 

(Aluna)