Rudy Habibie (Habibie & Ainun 2) is a “prequel” film from Habibie & Ainun (2012) that was very commercially successful in its time. The plan, this film will also have a sequel. The film made by director Hanung Bramantyo is about a young Habibie (Reza Rahadian) who is currently studying at RWTH Aachen, Germany. There Habibie faced various kinds of problems in student life such as financial problems, politics, and his love story with a German student, Ilona (Chelsea Islan).
From beginning to end, we are shown a variety of dramatic scenes. From the start when the hometown of little Rudy was bombarded by enemy aircraft, it continued to Rudy’s father who died, Rudy’s late deliveries, the political turmoil of the time and of course his love story with Ilona. Everything is mixed with music that is almost endless throughout the film. Everything seems excessive. Instead of making us awkward or inspired, this makes the audience seem to lose the direction of the film.
Another weakness on the side of the story is that the conflicts that emerge one after another are not explored in-depth, and problem-solving seems to be instant. The romance is also not much different. The story is less able to combine the visionary Rudy figure with his love story with Ilona. The conflicts he faced in realizing his ideas were so few that involved Ilona that it was like walking apart. Several times the religious element is included in this film, but again it feels just like a patch to further scent Rudy himself.
In terms of acting, Reza Rahadian became the most prominent. He is very good at bringing the character, Habibie. Through the way of speaking, gestures, and facial expressions that were rightly presented by Reza without seeming excessive. Chelsea Islan and Indah Permatasari also played well although not as prominent as Reza, but their presence was both able to provide freshness in the film.
Aesthetically, this film is arguably good. Cinematography, the setting and the music are quite good together, only because the weakness of the narrative makes the technical aspects seem neglected. Habibie is a prominent figure in the development of the aerospace industry in Indonesia. His personality as one of the smartest people in Indonesia certainly leaves a lot of curiosity to get to know the character’s personal life in depth. This film tries to inspire us through the life journey of a Habibie, but is this all enough? Or rather we instead ask, what exactly has Habibie given to this nation? This film has not been able to provide all of this well.
WATCH TRAILER
