“Cek Toko Sebelah (2018), which means ‘Check out the store next door’ is a light comedy film that tells the story of an Indonesian family from which the father owns a store in Jakarta that he wants to pass on to one of his sons. It is common that the oldest son is chosen, but the father chooses the youngest son, who was actually focused on a career in the banking system all the way in Singapore. This causes a lot of friction in the family. The film touches a variety of subjects such as generational differences between young and old in Indonesia, but also poor and rich, pursuing a career or traditionally staying home to take over the family business. Even though these themes are present in the background of the film. I did feel that I had to go through the subtextual layers to fully understand the characters. But that could also be because I watched this film from a western perspective. I have never been to Indonesia. So, in essence, I might not fully understand their point of view. But it is interesting to see these cultural differences. I was raised very western. So I never had to deal with the generational differences that the main characters deal with. I was able to pursue whatever career I want. Participating with CinemAsia and seeing Asian films like Cek Toko Sebelah make me eager to visit Indonesia. I am currently planning to go to Indonesia with my family and discover their culture first hand.”- Ingrid Guldenaar.
Photo and story by Feargal Agard
——————————————————————————————-
Interesting feature: Ernest Prakasa wrote and directed the film, but also performed as the main character in the film.
A preview review by FilmLAB 2019 participant Ingrid Guldenaar. Find out more about her dreams and aspirations, Click Here.
You can see Cek Toko Sebelah at the CinemAsia Film Festival 2019 on the 6th & the 10th of March.
Get your tickets: https://tickets.kriterion.nl/kriterion/en/flow_configs/webshop/steps/start/show/235227
Festival programme: https://cinemasia.nl/en/film-programme-2019/programme-schedule/
Website: https://cinemasia.nl/en/
