OEROEG

I can still recall, it was my childhood memory back then when I watched a film on the national television and I loved it. Perhaps, now it's feel like a nostalgic for both Indonesian-Dutch who watch this film. Yes, it's Oeroeg (Indonesian old spelling, pronounced 'Urugh') or Going Home for its international release, is a 1993 film which directed by the Dutch director Hans Hylkema and written by Jean van de Velde. 

It's an adaptation from the famous novel with the same title by the Dutch writer Hella S. Haasse, who was born in Batavia (Jakarta) on 2 February 1918, which first published in 1948, three years after Sukarno proclaimed The Republic of Indonesia and a year before the actual transfer of sovereignty by the Nedherlands. The film was distributed by Nedherlands Broadcasting Foundation Nederlandse Omroep Stichting and Belgium radio and television network then called Belgische Radio-en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen.  

The film tells the story about a boy of the Dutch rich family who grew up with the native boy called Oeroeg. Their life end up in different path after Indonesia proclaimed its independence and Indonesian Independence War against the Nedherlands. The two old friends reunited again in the middle of war and faced with the deep ideological differences and nationalism which has now split their friendship so far. The film produced by Belgium in collaboration with the Nedherlands and Indonesia.

Oeroeg has the feel of a fully-fledged film, with satisfactory acting performance,  professional costumes, good camera work and rather unambitious but adequate editing. The scenario is effective but not particularly defined, and the narrative structure using flashback is rather conventional. The film succeeds mainly in traditional terms, and for those with no prior knowledge it might lead to a better understanding of the story of the time. 

The casts are Rik Launspach (Johan Ten Berghe), Martin Schwab (Oeroeg), Jeroen Krabbé (Hendrik ten Berghe), Peter Faber (Van Bergen Henegouwen), Joris Putman (little Johan), Ramelan Bekkema (little Oeroeg), Tom Van Bauwel (Twan), Josée Ruiter (Lida), Ayu Azhari (Satih), José Rizal Manua (Deppoh).