my shoes, my journey

Brownies

This entry is not about the cake but about the Indonesian film. I bought the vcd during my previous trip to Melaka. I didn't expect to find it in Melaka because I had already went to a lot of shops in KL and none sell the vcd anymore. The (original) copy I bought, was the last copy.

Why on earth did I go through all the hassle just for a vcd? After watching Marcella Zalianty in "Penjaga Hati" (an Indonesian drama series aired throughout Ramadhan last year), I was curious about this actress. "Brownies" has this actress as the leading character.

One look at the cover will give you the impression that this is a shallow film about a lady who have to choose between an uptight yuppie (in case you don't already know, yuppie is short for 'young people with money'), and a laid-back bohemian. Yes it is about a love-triangle. But interweaved with the seemingly shallow love story, is a deep philosophic look towards life.

The film evolves around the leading lady, Amelia (Marcella). The story begins with Amelia returning to Jakarta in what possibly be a first class flight. She is successful and talented enough to be featured in a magazine. She is an art director who showed her business savvy by speaking to potential client she met on the plane in his mother tongue.

Amelia wanted to surprise her yuppie fiancé, Joe, by arriving at his apartment unannounced on his birthday. She was greeted by a messy but quiet apartment. In a true neat-freak style, Mel, as her friends fondly call her, tidied up the place while making her way to his room. Her surprise backfired when she caught Joe making out with another girl in the bathtub. In the heat of the moment, Mel ended their engagement.

Mel's life spiral further downward after Joe introduced her to his new girlfriend. In her rebound, Mel went on a few unsuccessful relationships, much to the dismay of her best friend, Didi. Didi finally confronted Mel and jolted Mel back to reality. Around the same time Didi’s husband, Lilo, had a reunion with his old friend from school. His bohemian friend, Are, owns a ‘book kiosk’ (book shop + café). His specialty is making delicious brownies. Knowing that Mel likes to make brownies too, Lilo and Didi set Mel up to meet Are.

We see Mel’s character changes as she gets to know Are. Are opens her eyes to new views and ideas. Are is against the idea of mass production and capitalism. He has somewhat a philosophical outlook towards life. We see how neat-freak Mel controlled her disgust (and said nothing) when Are absent-mindedly licked his fingers and his ice-cream cup. Besides that, the old Mel would never eat from a pushcart. The new Mel, remembering the ‘lecture’ from Are, felt pity for the pushcart vendor in front of her house, hence bought a late night snack from the pushcart. It was also Are’s words that gave Mel’s the idea for her latest advertising pitch.

As Mel and Are friendship grew, Joe suddenly came back into the picture. Didi, truly concerned about Mel, advised her to make the right decision. Once Mel sees beyond her past, she was able to pick the right man.

(p.s. Photo of the cover cd is taken from PintuNet.com)