Garuda di Dadaku

For an Indonesian film, this sport story of a passionate twelve-year-old soccer player seems entirely tooled for American tastes, so much so that it looks Disneyesque in the best sense (even down to the Disney detail of a dead parent). The craftsmanship in story, direction, writing, editing, camerawork, etc. is most certainly evident - spot on - with the presentation's only weakness in the story element of a soccer coach dealing with an angry stage-father who thinks his son the be-all/end-all of youth players. Not enough detail comes out beforehand to explain why the tale suddenly shifts to this coach late in the film, but then it's back on track with the kid winding up his dealings with his loving grandfather's deep bias against soccer. In that the boy's best friend is a cheerful, joyous, optimistic, paraplegic soccer enthusiast is an unexpected but wonderful touch - with the film so nicely and inclusively incorporating this character of physical limitations without milking it for sympathy or lapsing into self-pity. It's hard to imagine this character without a strong, fully-integrated future in society.