ADA APA DENGAN CINTA

Arghh!!! I’ve just written a full length review on the Ada Apa Dengan Cinta movie when it was accidentally deleted before I posted it. Tension!! Tension gila!! 
 
Anyway, there’s nothing to do but to rewrite it. Boring nyaaaa!!!! 
 
Here it is… again… 
 
I first watched Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (AADC / A2DC) on vcd at my friend’s house & I thought, “Whoa! Great movie!”.So, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, go & do so!! 
 
The main protagonists in the movie are Cinta (Dian Sastro) & Rangga (Nicholas Saputra). The supporting roles are played by Alya (Ladya Cheryll), Milly (Sissy Priscillia), Maura (Titi Kamal) & Karmen (Adinia Wirasti).  
 
Cinta is the most popular girl in school while Rangga is the loner outcast. When Rangga won the school poetry competition, Cinta went to interview him but was treated disdainfully. From that dreadful meeting, sparks began to fly as Cinta began to comprehend the real Rangga – the sensitive man hidden beneath a dour exterior.  
 
As the relationship developed, Cinta kept it a secret from her friends. Understandable of course, as they travel in different circles and there was already this jock pursuing her with the approval of her friends.  
 
Things reached its boiling point when Cinta lied when Alya called her. At that point, Alya was desperate for help as she cannot stand her abusive father anymore. As Cinta was about to go on a date with Rangga, she told Alya that she had to go as she was late for a doctor’s appointment. Imagine her shock when she found out that Alya tried to commit suicide & had to be hospitalised. Her friends found out about it & she was ostracized. Blaming herself over the suicide attempt, she broke off with Rangga.  
 
Unbeknownst to her, Rangga’s father had accepted a teaching position in the US. The lovers now face the risk of being parted forever. However, just in the nick of time Alya recovered & told Cinta that her suicide attempt was not Cinta’s fault. Cue a mad hectic rush to the airport as Cinta & her friends try to reach Rangga before he flew to America.  
 
The lovers met but Rangga had to leave. He did leave a poem, though, where he promised to return. HAPPY ENDING!!!  
 
The film’s storyline is nothing to shout about. It has been a recurring theme in countless love stories – boy & girl from different backgrounds fall in love & their trials & tribulations before love conquers all.  
 
Now, what makes this movie different from the other run-of-the-mill teenage love stories? Here are some of the factors, not listed in order of importance: 
 
1.The cast: I think the producers put a lot of effort in selecting the cast & it shows. Everyone was perfectly cast for their roles – Rangga, - brooding, Cinta - popular, Alya - sensitive, Maura - sophisticated & worldly, Karmen – sporty & Milly – the joker of the pack, cute tapi blur banget (my favourite character)! These characters interact so realistically that you have no problem identifying with them. With most local productions, the acting is so stiff & wooden that you have a hard time believing their role. It’s like, “Oh, come on!! I can do better than that!”. There’s none of that here. The fact that they had acting classes for 3 months to specifically prepare for their roles probably had something to do with it… ; ) 
 
2. The camera work: The scenes melded seamlessly & the pace never wavers. With the short attention span that most of the younger generation has, long-winded dialogue & lengthy unnecessary scenes can sometimes break the audience concentration. Not to say that this movie is free from unnecessary scenes, but it’s quite infrequent so it doesn’t really bother me.  
 
3. The background: The producers really put a lot of attention to the details. The setting looks realistic & not as if it’s taken from some local drama set & transplanted to the movie set.  
 
There are probably more reasons to watch this movie than the ones listed above. To find out more, go & watch it. You won’t regret it. Trust me!! ; )

last modified Mar 10, 2003 at 0:13 +