Promised paradise

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Summary

Indonesia, the land of eternal smiles, has been rocked several times by terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists. Indonesia is currently in a clear dilemma: on the one hand, people are being ca...

Indonesia, the land of eternal smiles, has been rocked several times by terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists. Indonesia is currently in a clear dilemma: on the one hand, people are being called upon by fundamentalists to take up arms against America, and on the other hand, fundamentalist attacks are strongly condemned, simply because a Muslim is not allowed to kill. Before the attacks on the WTC, the discotheque in Bali and the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Islam was almost never a subject in the work of artists from Indonesia. Now the attacks and with them "Islam" are used by many as a subject for their expression. This is also the case with troubadour and theatre maker Agus, who makes plays about stories from the Koran with children from pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools). In his performance, he makes it clear to children that they should not believe everything they see on television and he condemns the attacks and Osama Bin Laden. Theatre maker Agus is also concerned with faith in another way: he wonders whether the perpetrators of the attacks on Bali really go straight to heaven thanks to Jihad, and if not, whether they regret their deed. The diplomatic answer of medium 'Pa Leo' is that one person's heaven is another man's hell. Pa Leo helps Agus get in touch with the deceased perpetrators so that he can ask them personally if they are sorry. In addition, Agus Iman visits Samudra in prison, the only living perpetrator and also the mastermind behind the bombing of the discotheque in Bali. Imam Samudra is internationally regarded as one of the most dangerous terrorists who, according to sources, operates directly under Osama Bin Laden. Imam Samudra comes up with a remarkable conspiracy theory as to why America wants to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. Thousands of years ago, the Qur'an described that the new Islamic world empire would emerge on that site. Meanwhile, we meet Endang, a mentally disabled man, who is protected by Agus because he is bullied so much. Agus often takes Endang in tow, but is so preoccupied with his quest that he forgets to take care of Endang. Promised Paradise provides unexpected answers to unexpected questions. It is a very intimate look at the life of Indonesians in these turbulent times. As in his previous work, the director shows that he is capable of portraying these kinds of complex subjects in a nuanced way.

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