Global Lens 2007 is a monthly film series created to promote cross-cultural understanding through the universal language of cinema during a time of great change throughout the world.

Of Love and Eggs (Rindu kami padamu)
Directed by Garin Nugroho
In Bahasa Indonesia, with English subtitles
Indonesia, 2004, 90 minutes

“My market is full of stories,” says the little girl, “just like soap operas on television . . . some funny, some strange, some sad.” In this small market in Jakarta, most of the stories begin with loss. The girl is deaf; she lost her family when her home was destroyed. A friend at school lost her mother because of her father’s gambling and abuse. A boy and his older brother who lost their parents struggle to carry on the family business. But amidst the despair, the children maintain a sense of hope: the girl who lost her family sends a wish for a dome for the mosque by carrier pigeon; her friend protects a prayer rug, so it will be ready when her mother returns. The boy’s daydreams lead him to a young woman he calls Cantik – pretty – for whom he carries packages and cooks noodles with eggs; maybe someday he will call her “Mom”. Ramadan, the month of fasting and prayer, is at an end, and everyone in the market is preparing for Lebaran, the Holidays. Most Indonesians travel to visit family for Lebaran, leaving their jobs in the cities to return their home villages. However, for the children of the marketplace, the holidays could be hardest: a carrier pigeon lands in a stationer’s stall, ruining the greeting cards set out for display; a prayer rug disappears while the little girl sleeps; and the relationship between the boy and his brother grows tense. But during Lebaran, nothing is truly lost: a father is reunited with his daughter, a man has a change of heart and prays for his wife’s return, and the older brother orders a new stamp to mark his eggs – in the shape of a heart.

“For each new film, he seems to invent a new style, or even several new styles. Nugroho keeps rediscovering film . . . For his latest film, Nugroho consciously chose for a simple, fresh and comic style that is reminiscent of the heyday of Egyptian comedy.”
-Gertjan Zuilhof, International Film Festival Rotterdam,

 “A gentle comedy of hopes and absences, Indonesian director Garin Nugroho’s latest film is a touching meditation on the idea that everyday expressions of love form the true basis of religious spirit and community . . . Nugroho weaves their stories into the hopes and frustrations of other characters in the market – a lovingly crafted studio set – giving his realistic fairy tale a rich sense of lives interconnected, and a world where even the smallest gestures of affection can bring welcome grace.”
-Steve Mockus, San Francisco International Film Festival,

“As memorable for its humanist warmth as it is for Nugroho’s deceptively light comedic touch . . . A fine film.”
-Wally Hammond, Time Out London