Ada Apa Dengan Cinta

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Other

I know, this movie came out way back in 2002. I know I've watched it like at least 10 times and you know what, I can watch it again and again.

I know, the cast are all spectacular looking, and it features the top strata of Indonesia society. I know the high-school kids in the movie are all unrealistically dressed and their school-life is unrealistic and all. I know it's not representative of real Indonesian society, yada yada yada.

But still, i deem it compulsory-watching for all my classes (so I can watch it over and over and over again muahahahaha). And I squeeze the movie for all it's worth to craft lessons on:

1) friendship
2) discussion on something that you regret
3) discussion on how friends shouldn't be taken for granted
4) discussion on child abuse
5) discussion on the value of literature (higher order stuff based on Rangga's poems).

BUT, the real reasons i love watching it for the gazillionth time is because watching it brings me back to:
1) those sweet old days of secondary school
2) all those 'i can't stand that guy' feeling
3) those days of crushes
4) that 'i think i'm in love' feeling
5) those first dates
6) those long walks after those first dates to prolong afore-mentioned dates
7) that sense of belonging to a group of girlfriends
8) traipsing down the school corridors with afore-mentioned group of girlfriends

Brilliant sound-track by Melly Goeslaw, sweet eye-candy, and intelligent script. many references to classic pieces of Indonesian literature like Sjumanjaya and Chairil Anwar,

Cinta quoted an old poem by Chairil Anwar to describe her restless state and insomnia:

"Aku enggak bisa tidur.
Orang ngomong.
Anjing gonggong."

Rangga's thoughts on his self-imposed state of isolation:

"Ku lari ke hutan kemudian menyanyiku
Ku lari ke pantai kemudian teriakku
Sepi...sepi..and sendiri aku benci
Aku ingin bingar...aku mau di pasar
Bosan aku dengan penat
Dan nyah saja kau pekat
Seperti berjelaga jika ku sendiri."

appeals to the candy-floss era of teenhood school-life and the appreciation of pre-independence indonesian literature.