''Biola Tak Berdawai'' ( en, The Stringless Violin) is an

Indonesian film Cinema of Indonesia is film that is produced domestically in Indonesia. The Indonesian Film Agency or BPI defines Indonesian film as "movies that are made with Indonesian resources, and wholly or partly Intellectual Property is owned by Indones ...

directed by

Sekar Ayu Asmara Sekar Ayu Asmara is an Indonesian songwriter, director, and author. Biography Asmara was born in Jakarta to a diplomat and his wife. She accompanied her father to foreign countries when he received an assignment. While overseas with her family, sh ...

. It was released by Kalyana Shira Film on 22 March 2003, with wider release on 4 April. Telling the story of a rape victim who attempts to use music to heal an autistic boy, it was shown at the

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year sin ...

, where it secured a Best New Director award for Asmara. It was also Indonesia's submission to

76th Academy Awards The 76th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2003 and took place on February 29, 2004, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 ...

for

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

Plot

Renjani (

Ria Irawan Chandra Ariati Dewi Irawan or better known as Ria Irawan (24 July 1969 – 6 January 2020) was an Indonesian actress and singer of Minangkabau descent. Biography Irawan began acting at age four, with her debut film being ''Sopir Taxi''. Her bre ...

), a former ballerina and rape victim who aborted the resulting foetus, and Wid (

Jajang C. Noer Lidia Djunita Pamontjak or better known as Jajang C. Noer (born June 28, 1952 in Paris, France) is a France-born Indonesian actress and film producer of Minangkabau descent. She is also the only daughter of Indonesian national independence movemen ...

), a doctor and daughter of a prostitute, are two women who volunteer at an orphanage for children with several disabilities in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

. One day, while practicing her dancing, Renjani notes that Dewa (Dicky Lebrianto), a tiny eight-year-old with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and brain damage, is responding. This convinces her that

music therapy Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music th ...

could promote healing. Renjani later asks Bhisma (

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 ...

), a violinist that she met by chance, to assist him; they later fall in love. After Bhisma writes a song, "Biola Tak Berdawai", for Dewa, he prepares for a recital. Renjani and Dewa attend the recital, but Renjani faints and is rushed to the hospital; the cause is later discovered to be

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

. After a week in a coma, Renjani dies; at her grave, Dewa plays "Biola Tak Berdawai" as Bhisma listens.

Production

''Biola Tak Berdawai'' was directed by Sekar Ayu Asmara, a

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 ...

-born self-taught director. It was her directorial debut. Asmara also produced the film and wrote the lyrics to the theme song. According to Asmara,

and

immediately accepted the offer to play in the film. However, the role of Dewa was filled by Dicky Lebrianto after casting in both Yogyakarta and Jakarta; she notes that it was difficult as the person who played him had to be a non-handicapped child capable of acting like he had a handicap.

Addie MS Addie is a given name, nickname and surname. It may refer to: People with the name Given name * Addie Aylestock (1909–1998), Canadian minister in the British Methodist Episcopal Church, the first woman minister to be ordained in that church, ...

, a musician cum conductor from the Twilite Orchestra and Asmara's long-time friend, was chosen to compose the film's music. The

Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra The Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra is an Australian orchestra. It is affiliated with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and in 1999 had about 60 musicians. The orchestra has collaborated with numerous artists, including Australian alternative rock ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, provided the music. The movie was shot in Yogyakarta and the surrounding area over a period of 25 days in 2002.

Themes

According to Asmara, ''Biola Tak Berdawai'' is "a metaphor for the multiple- handicapped babies" that symbolizes the souls of people who have never known love, and those whose hearts have been scarred by it. She also notes that the film conveys the message that one must be ready to sacrifice things for love.

Release

''Biola Tak Berdawai'' premiered on 22 March 2003, with wider release on 4 April. It garnered the Best New Director award at the

for Asmara. It later became Indonesia's submission to the

for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. However, it was not accepted as a nominee. The film was later novelised by

Seno Gumira Ajidarma Seno Gumira Ajidarma (born June 19, 1958) is an Indonesian author of short stories, novels, essays, and movie scripts. He is also known as a journalist, photographer and lecturer. He won the 1997 S.E.A. Write Award (Southeast Asian Writers Award). ...

. Hera Diani of ''

The Jakarta Post ''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta. ''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...

'' gave the movie two and a half out of four stars, writing that Noer's character was "ridiculous", with "bad makeup, unnecessary histrionics and absurd statements on how life and everything in it are a riddle". Irawan's character was described as "sometimes unconvincing". Regarding the film itself, she wrote that the dialogue was at times pat and some scenes were illogical. However, she praised the cinematography and score, as well as Lebrianto's portrayal of Dewa.

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * * * *

External links