Sundance 2023: Jamojaya, by David Bax

Rich Brian and Yayu A.W. Unru appear in Jamojaya by Justin Chon, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Ante Cheng. All photos are copyrighted and may be used by the press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.

Jamojaya, the latest melodrama from one of the best currently working melodramatists, Justin Chon (Gook, Blue Bayou), returns to the subject matter of family, which has dominated much of his oeuvre. This time, we’re focused on the growing distance between a father and his son. James (Brian Imanuel Soewarno, aka the rapper Rich Brian) is an up and coming Indonesian rapper who’s been signed by an American label and temporarily relocated to Hawaii to record his first album for them. As exciting a step forward as that is for James’ career, it leaves his father, Joyo (Yaya A.W. Unru), with little to do. Joyo was James’ manager while his career was localized to Indonesia but, now that they have no professional connection, James’ embarrassment at his generational, economic and cultural distance from his dad rushes in to fill the void.

Color has always been a tool Chon is not afraid to use boldly. Gook was black and white. Blue Bayou was obviously blue. And I haven’t seen Ms. Purple but I have a guess as to what the dominant hue is there. In Jamojaya, we get yellows and reds, in warm tones that match the tropical setting. In one scene, when a bathroom door opens to reveal a cold, blue light, the effect is shocking. But it perfectly reflects how Joyo’s continued presence in James’ world and life is like an intrusion.

As you might expect in a movie about a musician, the sound design is also crucial. I don’t just mean the music (though it was a very good idea to cast an actual rapper as James). So much of Jamojaya‘s aural texture comes from the waves outside the beachfront guesthouse the label head (Henry Ian Cusick) has provided for James to stay in while living in Hawaii. Sometimes they lap soothingly at the shore and sometimes they seem to crush themselves against it.

One thing that appears on the soundtrack but should not–really my only complaint about Jamojaya but a major one–is Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit.” This is not a movie about Black people, lynching or any of the other things of huge cultural weight that come along with that eerily gorgeous song. Attempting to drop the needle on something with such obvious and well known associations is a bizarre and jarring move.

Hey, maybe Chon will come to his senses and swap that out for a less insane choice before the movie gets an official release. If he does, Jamojaya will fit in nicely with his other modern day melodramas.

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