‘Like Run Run Shaw, George Lucas’: Angga Sasongko blends coffee, philosophy and a Chinese-Indonesian bromance
The Indonesian filmmaker, best known for his ‘Filosofi Kopi’ film series, knows how to traverse the new media landscape in turbulent times, and it is this rare combination of artistry and instinct that keeps the projects coming
Modern day storytellers such as 32-year-old film director Angga Dwimas Sasongko are no longer bound to just one format. Instead, they range across countless platforms from film, to television, advertising, online videos and games, forever crafting and re-crafting their stories. In his home country of Indonesia, many spend hours per day on the internet, particularly via smartphones, making the battle to capture “eyeballs” an epic and endless struggle. As Pak Angga explains: “Nowadays, it’s all about how to get closer to the audience. How to get onto everybody’s smartphones? Creating content and breaking it down.”
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With his two Filosofi Kopi films, Pak Angga has proven himself to be a front-runner in this multidimensional terrain, where a film is no longer just a film but can extend far beyond a mere cinema hall. Indeed, it’s arguable that’s he’s conjured up an entire universe, straddling Jakarta’s hipster millennials sipping espresso in their concrete and bleached-wood cafés as well as the coffee-growing communities of Lampung, Toraja and East Java.
The Filosofi Kopi series is anchored by an unusual pairing of childhood friends: a long-term bromance between a Chinese and a pribumi Indonesian, something that in the heat of the recent Jakarta gubernatorial elections might not have seemed possible. They’re a quirky duo: Jody (played by Rio Dewanto) is a stiff, numbers-driven Chinese-Indonesian nerd, while Ben (Chicco Jerikho), is the intense, philosophy-spouting barista with a passion for coffee.
Inevitably, the balance between the two men begins to shift as business and then women start complicating their lives. In the first film, a haughty coffee writer called El (played by Julie Estelle) drives the narrative whereas in the second film, a businesswoman called Tarra, (played by a surprisingly matron-like Luna Maya) and an offbeat but dedicated barista called Brie (played by Nadine Alexandra) challenge the men.
Moreover, in both films, the reality of Indonesia – the violence, injustice and impunity that underlies everyday life – further upsets the equilibrium. Ben, in particular, is forced to come to terms with the family tragedy that has shaped his life – providing in turn a measure of redemption and peace as he later retreats to his father’s carefully tended coffee nursery in Lampung.
While neither of the films have been box office hits, perhaps attributable to their resolutely urban milieu, Pak Angga assures me that they’ve both been profitable. Moreover, because of his deft management of multiple platforms, the Filosofi Kopi series has had an outsized impact on Indonesian pop culture. Certainly, the two male stars have become hot properties. At the same time, he’s captured the zeitgeist and mood of contemporary Jakarta as the post-Reformasi Republic approaches its 20th anniversary.
