Sang Pencerah

Sang Pencerah
Hanung’s Best Movie?

Studio Production: MVP Picture
Director: Hanung Bramantyo
Producer: Raam Punjabi
Screenplay: Hanung Bramantyo
Cast: Lukman Sardi / Slamet Raharjo / Zaskia A Mecca / Ihsan Idol / Ikranegara / Sujiwo Tejo
Music: Tya Subiyakto Satrio
Cinematography: Faozan Rizal
Editing: Wawan I.Wibowo

 The beginning of the story was a birth of a baby named Muhammad Darwis or better known as Ahmad Dahlan (Lukman Sardi). Darwis was born and grew in Kauman, Yogyakarta when Kasultanan Hamengkubuwono VII had its glory. Kauman was center of moslem activity in Yogyakarta. The community was still believing magic also mystic, they called it “Kejawen”. When Darwis was adolescent, he went studied to Saudi Arabia, after five years then he came back to his home country Indonesia and change his name Ahmad Dahlan. Later, he was appointed as “khotib” at Great Mosque Kauman who gave a sermon in front of the king, kyai, and students. Dahlan started to conveys to the society about the purity concept of Islam. But his doctrine was controversial, he was considered by elders intended against their tradition. Even so, Dahlan still persistent of his standing position, so that he had been gradually removed from Great Mosque.

As other biography movies, Sang Pencerah tells about lifestory from a great figure in a certain period. This figure was narrated from he was adolescent until he was adult, specially when he was already founding Muhammadiyah Organization. The beginning sequence was presented very well by montage sequence technique, from his birth until he became a young man. The main story was started when Ahmad Dahlan came back from Mecca.

Core of this movie was the way of Ahmad Dahlan to Purify Islam in his community that had been contaminated with their tradition which was Syirik and Bid’ah. Conflicts between two side which were Ahmad Dahlan and the elders, were not deeply told. Each side has its strength opinion. For instance, scene which there was a big meeting when Dahlan conveyed about the direction of Qiblat. Here we did not clearly know the one whose opinion was right, so that we did not feel syhmpatic to the main character Dahlan.

One of the weakness, conflicts in this movie just passed through without any conclusion or distinct solutions. Conflicts just being an addition without continuity, the elders did not against Dahlan consistently. It prove when Dahlan built a new mosque and disseminate his thought about Islam, the elders just let it happened. It makes this movie moved very flat.

The location setting seems artificial, the interior in Great Mosque or Langgar Kidul was convincing enough. While the exterior setting mostly taken by shot on location technique, such as Tugu Station, Alun-alun, etc. Still,  Tugu Jogja setting with Great Mosque birds perspective seems artificial. Judged from another aspect, Lukman Sardi’s acting not too fascinating, he seems younger than Ahmad Dahlan should. Dahlan’s figure did not have a big charisma as a great leader. It certainly difficult searching for the real character of Ahmad Dahlan, because he lived so long ago.

Director of Sang Pencerah, Hanung Bramantyo was brave enough to make a biography film,  we know it needs deeply research, but he could not gave a lot of facts about the true history. We can see from the plot which its fiction combination was superficial and undramatically enough. in order avoiding controversy, he directed this movie carefully. Still, it much better than his latest movies, Ayat-Ayat Cinta, Get Married, and Menebus Impian. However, the whole story was able to describe doctrine of Ahmad Dahlan about Islam moderate. We hope this movie are inspiring the youth in Indonesia for understanding the truly meaning of Islam. This movie conveys us something positive, even with its deficiency, this movie offers a good solution for the youth.

Agustinus Dwi Nugroho

Alumnus of film academy in Yogyakarta, practitioner, writer at Montase, and focusing on Indonesian movies.