''Janji Joni'' (English: ''Joni's Promise'') is a

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

Indonesian adventure romantic comedy film written and directed by Joko Anwar in his directorial debut. Starring

Nicholas Saputra Nicholas Saputra Schubring (born 24 February 1984) is an Indonesian actor and film producer. He first rose to prominence as Rangga in the 2002 hit film '' Ada Apa dengan Cinta?'', a role he reprised in ''Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? 2'' in 2016. He ha ...

Mariana Renata Mariana Renata Dantec (born 31 December 1983, Paris), better known by Mariana Renata and Mariana Dantec, is a French-Indonesian model and actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Janji Joni'' (2005), ''The Matchmaker'' (2006), and ...

Rachel Maryam Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...

, and

Surya Saputra Surya Saputra (born in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 5, 1975) is an Indonesian actor, singer, and model. He is the husband of Indonesian actress and singer, Cynthia Lamusu. He is also a former member of the Indonesian pop group Cool Colors. Care ...

, the film was a commercial and critical success, earning Anwar his first Citra Award for Best Director nomination. The film features multiple cameo appearances from well-known celebrities.

Synopsis

Joni works as a film/reel delivery man in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

. One day, while waiting for the next pick-up, Joni meets a charming girl who is going to catch a film with her boyfriend Otto. The girl would only reveal her name to Joni if he successfully delivers the reels on time. However, things do not turn out well on that day as Joni faces obstacles such as the city's notorious traffic and various people that may disrupt his task.

Cast

Notable cameos

Production

According to producer Nia Dinata, the shooting process for ''Janji Joni'' was very challenging due to unpredictable weather and also having to shoot secretly in certain areas due to the production team not having permits from local authorities. This was coupled with intimidation from local thugs who demanded payment in order for the crew to be able to shoot in certain locations. Overall, the shooting took place over 20 days.

Release

''Janji Joni'' received theatrical release on April 28, 2005 in Indonesia followed by Malaysia on September 1, 2005 and Singapore on November 9, 2006. It was screened at several international film festivals, including Busan International Film Festival,

Deauville Asian Film Festival The Deauville Asian Film Festival (the Festival du film asiatique de Deauville) takes place annually in Deauville, France since 1999 and focuses on Asian cinema. A film competition was added to the festival in 2000 and a video competition in 2002. ...

, and Bangkok International Film Festival. A book containing Anwar's screenplay and production was published by Metafor titled ''Janji Joni: Skenario dan Catatan''.

Reception

Writing for ''Tempo'',

Leila Chudori Leila Salikha Chudori (born December 12, 1962) is an Indonesian journalist and writer. She won the Southeast Asian Writers Award in 2020. Biography Leila Salikha Chudori was born December 12, 1962, in Jakarta and grew up there. She is the daug ...

praised the film, calling it "intelligent and calculated" while noting Anwar's "smart and sharp" directing style and singling out the performances of Nicholas Saputra and Surya Saputra. In 2019, fourteen years since the film's release, Panos Katzothanasis reviewed the film for ''Asian Movie Pulse'' and called the film "unique" with "extremely intelligent, pointy, and ironic sense of humor" while noting that it "thrives in context, intelligent irony, and overall entertainment and is definitely among the best in Joko Anwar’s oeuvre.''"'' Katzothanasis singled out Nicholas Saputra and Sujiwo Tejo as stand-out performances in the film. ''Tempo'' magazine named ''Janji Joni'' its pick for best film of the year.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official site
* {{Authority control 2005 films 2000s Indonesian-language films 2005 romantic comedy films Films shot in Indonesia Films set in Indonesia Indonesian romantic comedy films 2005 directorial debut films Films directed by Joko Anwar