SHAPE OF THE MOON

A film by LEONARD RETEL HELMRICH Joris Ivens Award / Idfa 2004
Grand Jury Prize Documentary Competition Sundance 2005

| THE NETHERLANDS | 2005 | 92 & 58 minutes !

A cinematic journey into the every-day life of a Christian woman, her son, and her granddaughter in the growing social chaos and escalating Muslim fundamentalism in Indonesia, the largest Islamic community on the globe.

Leonard Retel Helmrich painstakingly presents Indonesia with such detail and understated emotion it radiates fervent beauty. Among a population of 240 million people, the film finds quiet moments with three generations of a Christian family amidst the bustle and texture on the outskirts of Jakarta.

The widow Rumidja is a Christian who prays regularly with her grand-daughter, but practices some Muslim traditions and even graciously contributes to the local mosque for its new speakers. Rumidja's son Bakti roams their tight-knit community, living his own life, refusing to participate in Muslim traditions until he decides to marry a Muslim woman and must convert.

Finding its pace in the daily lives of the Sjamsuddin family, SHAPE OF THE MOON resonates deeply of faith and gratitude, despite the tightly woven links between Muslim religion and Indonesian politics. The vérité style creates an experiential rhythm as the camera silently weaves in and out of tunnels and water wells, and lingers delicately as characters sleep, eat, and live.

Web link : (SHAPE OF THE MOON)