The Big Issue of Street Children in "Daun di atas Bantal"

For me, the film "Daun di Atas Bantal" (1998) is one of the best Indonesian films that I ever watched. This film can speak many things without too much jargon. The natural feeling in the picture, the breath of the video, and everything that the actors did had told much for you. 

And you know, this film has captured about Yogyakarta society whose full of inequality and injustice. Yogyakarta that looked beautiful in front of the media, has a problematic issue. From poverty, street children, child deviation is not their age, class level, monarchy, feudalism, so on; and I have been crying when I watched this. 

When Sugeng died, Daun di Atas Bantal (1998)

Sugeng, Heru, and Kancil are the victims of this bastard society. From people who are never satisfied with their wealth. And, cause of this film my eyes opened how the assurance company worked. Ant the parallel of crime to street children. How many street children died? They don't have an identity, nor family, or a home. 

Just Asih (Christine Hakim) who cared with them. She is for me the strong woman who lived in a criminal milieu. Every day, she works the clothes or batiks or the flower. She takes care of Sugeng, Heru, and Kancil such as her child. She has a husband or a boyfriend who always hurts her. 

Daun di Atas Bantal (Leaves on The Pillow) is a metaphor, the leaves as the money, and the pillow is the place for money. Kancil died in the up of the train because saved his pillow. Heru died because of the assurance syndicate. Sugeng died because killed by the thug. And who are cared about them? Until Sugeng had not been the place to bury. "Orang kok gak bisa dikubur, binatang aja bisa. Aturan darimana itu?" Asih.

This film shows me the hardships of reality. When a human eats like a dog when a human eats a human, when the dream just like an illusion as Asih said, "If you want to save, don't dream high." And cause that I promise to myself: I don't want to annoy other people. 

And where the government? Where?