‘Gowok: Javanese Kamasutra’ Can’t Decide What It Wants To Be

There has been a near infinite number of romances told over the years, and many often deal with the concept of forbidden love. A budding romance that is forced to remain apart whether it be due to arranged marriage, class conflict or family squabbles. Some tackle a variety of themes such as patriarchy and female liberation or even fate, religion and political turmoil. Gowok: Javanese Kamasutra appears to take a swing at all of these ideas which unfortunately leaves it feeling disjointed, unfocused and dissonant.

Directed by Hanung Bramantyo, this Indonesian Drama film takes place in 1960s Indonesia, on the island of Java. It follows Ratri Sujita, played by both Raihaanun and Alika Jantinia, a young woman in the service of a Gowok Rahayu, played by Nai Djenar Maesa Ayu. Her role is to educate grooms about sexuality and the female body prior to marriage. One of these men is Kamanjaya or Jaya, played by both Devano Danendra and Reza Rahadian, who falls in love with Ratri. Unfortunately, Jaya is the son of a powerful man and is forced to marry, leaving Ratri to succeed Rahayu’s position. All the while, there is political turmoil brewing in Java, as Ratri attempts to aid in building a school for women.

What started as a simple premise becomes muddled and confused as the film goes on. Perhaps the most jarring aspect of this film is right in its opening and ending, both of which are tonally different to the rest of the runtime. It opens like a horror/thriller, with a mysterious spell and a dramatic murder. This is then followed by a typical romance with hints of an erotic thriller and a supernatural mystery. There is then a time jump, which suddenly introduces a subplot revolving around arranged marriages, scheming and political unrest. If just one of these aspects were paired with the central romance, the film would have certainly been less jarring.

Following the odd introduction, the rest of the filmn’s first half is fairly strong. Both Jaya and Ratri have good chemistry and the contrast in their class works to wonderful effect. Jaya is instantly likeable and his charisma allows Ratri to let down her guard so that she no longer fears those she perceives as of a higher social standing. Their romance is believable and easy to get invested in despite a few rushed moments. This is further aided by excellent performances from both Jantinia and Danendra. As a whole, the casting for the younger and older versions of the characters is spot on, which makes the time jump less jarring. Although almost every other character appears to remain the same age.

Further enhancing these moments are excellent aspects of production. The cinematography brings Java to life and there is a clear commitment to making the time period feel both as real and as accurate as possible. While the plot certainly feels anachronistic for the time, the viewer will likely suspend their disbelief for certain aspects since the filmmakers make clear from the start that these events have been dramatized. The excellence in these aspects continues throughout the entire runtime, and is further elevated by a wonderful score. It is a joy to listen to and makes the messy final act bearable.

While the romance aspect in the first half is solid, the second half of the film is where the film’s identity crisis takes centre stage. Multiple characters are suddenly introduced, and there is now talk of politics, arranged marriages and affairs, all of which feels both inconsequential and confusing. It muddies the water of what should be about love breaking the barriers of class. Jaya’s political position is something that should certainly be explored, but every other scene of new characters gossiping about past events was wholly unnecessary. It results in less screentime and scenes with both Jaya and Ratri, which ultimately leaves their relationship underdeveloped and thus the resulting tragedy falls completely short.

Another aspect that feels underdeveloped and tacked on is that of the supernatural. The opening alludes to a spell cast on a man by a Gowok, and later on, the audience sees Nyai Santi praying to the Gods at a waterfall and reciting an incantation that seems to affect Jaya and Ratri. This does make the romance feel a tad contrived as rather than fall in love naturally, a spell pushes Jaya and Ratri to give in to their feelings. This supernatural element is then left unspoken about for the rest of the film’s runtime as the focus turns to Ratri’s work and the political subplot. It is then suddenly brought back for the final act, serving the role as catalyst for the final series of violent events. An echo of the aforementioned waterfall scene occurs, but feels incredibly dubious as in this moment, Ratri is casting it upon a young boy who does not know better. She takes advantage of him as a means for revenge and the spell winds up making the boy murderous in the final act. It again feels contrived, allowing the writers transform the characters into whatever the plot needs them to be, rather than have them develop to that point.

Speaking of the final act itself, it is just as jarring. It seemingly serves as an echo of the opening, sharing a nighttime setting and similar musical cues and acts of violence. But because of the film’s focus on its political subplot, this moment does not feel earned nor built up to. A more appropriate ending might have been one that resolved the political and the romance plotline in a way that is bittersweet. Instead, the film opts for a horror-esque sequence where the boy becomes a violent murderer and suddenly there’s a whole host of people ready to burn down Ratri’s house. Nothing of what the film has focused on feels truly resolved and the tragic end of the central romance fails to tug at the heart. The following epilogue at least makes up for the messy end, utilising the beautiful score to try and push a poignant message about the erasure of certain cultural practices. The problem of course is that the film hasn’t really pushed this idea, spending too much time being a political thriller, an erotic thriller, a mystery and a horror film instead of taking one of these genres and combining it with a strong central romance.

Overall, Gowok: Javanese Kamasutra is a frustrating film. It flirts with greatness by having stunning visuals, excellent music and great acting. For the first half, there is a strong romance for the audience to become invested in that becomes muddled by everything else. More focus and restrain was needed in the script, because audiences will be scratching their heads by the end, wondering what has happened and why they should even care.