Movie Review Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park (2010)

 

Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park (Alternate Title: Sunday Morning in Victoria Park) | 2010 | 1h 37m
Genre: Drama | Country: Indonesia
Director: Lola Amaria | Writers: Titien Wattimena
Cast: Donny Alamsyah, Lola Amaria, Titi Rajo Bintang
IMDB: 7.6
My Rate: 8/10

Mayang is forced by her father to become a domestic worker in Hong Kong to search for her sister, Sekar, who disappeared without a trace while working as a domestic worker in Hong Kong. Mayang discovers a secret that Sekar had been hiding from her family.

Warnings:

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

 

Synopsis:

Mayang (Lola Amaria) is forced by her family, especially her father, to work as a domestic worker in Hong Kong. Mayang, who previously worked as a low-level laborer in her village, reluctantly agrees to go to Hong Kong to find her missing sister. Her father registers Mayang without her consent.

Sekar (Titi Rajo Bintang), Mayang's younger sister, had already gone to work in Hong Kong. Their father always bragged about Sekar, especially after feeling she had become successful and could provide them with a better life in a short time. However, Sekar suddenly disappears without a trace, leaving them confused. Sekar's whereabouts are also questioned by her fellow domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Mayang works as a maid and babysitter in a house. Fortunately, the family treats Mayang well, even though their child is a bit naughty. Mayang befriends Sari (Imelda Soraya), who introduces her to Gandi (Donny Damara), considered the "father" of the domestic workers.

Mayang tries to ask Gandi for help in finding Sekar, but she doesn't want anyone else to know the status of her relationship with Sekar. However, Gandi chooses to tell other domestic workers to make it easier to find Sekar. This makes Mayang a little angry.

Vincent (Donny Alamsyah), Gandi's friend, falls in love with Mayang and tries to help her. Mayang slowly opens up about her feelings and her problems with Sekar. On the other hand, Sekar is struggling to make ends meet by doing odd jobs to pay off her debts, even resorting to working in pubs.

Will Mayang's search be successful?

 

Review:

Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park is a film that was a bit out of my expectations. This film has a good idea, highlighting a different side of the lives of domestic workers working abroad, especially in Hong Kong. Maybe the problems commonly known by Indonesian society are only about the violence that befalls some workers there. However, it turns out that many other problems occur, especially regarding debt.

Many people think that the lives and work of domestic workers are easy ways to earn a lot of money. Most workers send their earnings back to their villages so that their families have a decent life. This becomes a source of pride for their families when they can build a house, buy rice paddies, or whatever. However, they don't really understand how tough life is for their family members who are domestic workers.

This film successfully presents these problems as an engaging story. It is spiced up with stories of friendship, romance, and family, creating a beautiful unity. With various problems such as debt, fraud, and others. The interesting thing about this film is that we can see how the workers there stick together to protect each other.

The development of the story's foundation, character background, conflict, and resolution is done well. There are no characters or dialogues that seem unnecessary. Everything plays a crucial role in building the story. The story is also presented systematically and is easy to understand.

The acting of the cast is also good. Not only the main actors but also the supporting actors deliver captivating performances. However, Donny Damara seems to be overacting slightly for his character.

While watching this film, Gandi's character seems to have an aura of "untrustworthiness." It feels like there's a hidden motive behind everything he does. Although it turns out not to be the case in the end, the way Donny Damara represents this character makes it seem that way.

The music selection is good and appropriate for each scene. It was surprising when Kangen Band appeared at the end of the film, performing a song that turns out to have a lot of fans in Hong Kong. This overwhelmed Lola Amaria, the director.

The shooting process, which was mostly done in Hong Kong, is quite interesting. The use of the Hong Kong language by the actors is also a draw. Unfortunately, there are some parts where the dubbing doesn't blend well. However, despite this, this film is very interesting to watch.

 

Memorable Scene:

Mayang finally gathers the courage to find Sekar at the pub. Mayang holds back tears when she sees Sekar's condition, which is not what she imagined. In this scene, we see that no matter how much we hate our own siblings, we will still feel sadness when we know they are struggling.

 
Memorable Dialogue:

"Everyone has problems, not just you."

 

Ending:

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

 

(Aluna)