Schizophrenic biopic of a flawed Indonesian patriot

THERE are moments when Soekarno - a biopic about the rise to political prominence of Indonesia's first president Sukarno (the film uses the Indonesian spelling of his name) during the country's Dutch colonial period and subsequent occupation by the Japanese in World War II - resembles a cross between a stodgy retelling of history and a roiling soap opera about a charismatic leader and the women in his life.

In the course of trying to present a larger-than-life historical figure as a man of the people on a mission to unite a country who (by the way) also happened to have a keen eye for the ladies, neither his public persona nor his private one is fully examined. It's as if the film, directed by Hanung Bramantyo, couldn't quite make up its mind about which aspect to focus on.

Given the external issues the filmmakers had to deal with (see accompanying story) and also perhaps as a result of decisions made in the editing room, it's not surprising that Soekarno ended up with a split personality. Despite its flaws, the film is aided to some extent by a sense of shared destiny with our neighbour during the period covered, especially during the war years. Students of history and anyone old enough to remember those turbulent times will find some interesting material to digest here, although they may have to endure stiff melodrama to get to it.