Indonesian Migrant Life Goes to the Big Screen

Jakarta Globe, Dalih Sembiring

‘Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park’ is a new film focusing on the lives of Indonesian migrant workers living in Hong Kong.  (Photo courtesy of PickLock Productions and lolaamaria.blogdetik.com)

While most would agree that problems faced by Indonesian migrant workers revolve around abuse by employees, an Indonesian feature film promises a different approach to detailing their struggles in Hong Kong.

The film introduces us to a young woman named Sekar. She has been earning money for herself and her East Javanese family as an Indonesian female migrant worker, or Tenaga Kerja Wanita (TKW), in Hong Kong, one of the world’s leading financial hubs.

When her family stop receiving news and cash from Sekar, her family becomes alarmed. They send Mayang, her older sister, try to find out about Sekar’s whereabouts. The catch? Mayang can only afford to go to Hong Kong as a migrant worker.

Reluctant to leave her hometown, Mayang is in for a shock when she discovers the truth about working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong: It is hard, it is strict, it can be sad, and yet it can also be rewarding.

Sitting in the director’s chair for the movie “Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park” (“Sunday Morning in Victoria Park”) is Lola Amaria, who also plays the role of Mayang.

“After I portrayed a migrant worker in a Taiwan film called ‘Detours to Paradise,’ I thought there had to be so many interesting things surrounding the lives of our migrant workers abroad,” said Lola, who also acted in her 2006 directorial debut “Betina” (“Female”). “I was curious as to why no one had made a feature film about them.”

She revealed her intentions to Dewi Umaya Rachman, co-producer of a 2007 film about the Bali bombings, “Long Road to Heaven,” and both women started work on the project in July 2008.

They interviewed hundreds of migrant workers, including those in training, obtained data from and the support of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, and acquired local assistance in the special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China before they began filming in October 2009.

“Hong Kong is probably where our migrant workers face the least problems compared to any of the other TKW destinations in the world,” Lola said.

However, the TKW struggle to adjust to the differences in culture, especially Hong Kong’s notoriously fast-paced lifestyle.

Lola and Dewi said they wanted to focus on female migrant workers in order to provide a different perspective.

“As much as it is stressful working for extremely strict employers, the biggest burden comes from back home, where the families expect them [TKW] to return as successful people, bringing home a lot of money,” Lola said. “Unfortunately, this burden often leads to suicide.”

“In Hong Kong, our workers actually feel empowered by their situation,” Dewi said. “It is because of them that their employers’ careers can develop. It would be impossible for Hong Kong to be such an advanced economy without the help of the TKW. There is a demand for 1,000 Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong each month.”

The two behind the film have also come across those who regard the TKW as traitors to their own country. This argument is based on the fact that instead of working in their own country, the TKW are helping another country progress.

“In Indonesia, many still dismiss domestic work as a lowly profession worthy of meager pay,” Dewi said.

“Many do not appreciate their jobs, which explains why there is such a large number of illegal agencies that send untrained workers abroad. This results in employers who become abusive and unhappy with their performance.”

She added that such occurrences are rare in Hong Kong because of the strict rules concerning TKW.

“And if we want to talk about nationalism, no one beats those TKW,” Dewi added. “In Victoria Park, where they normally hang out on Saturdays and Sundays, they practice traditional dances. They have introduced Indonesian dishes to local vendors who now sell them around the area. At the employers’ homes, they teach the children Indonesian language.

“They even help develop their home villages by saving money for their families to open small businesses that employ the locals.”

For moviegoers who wonder whether they’ll enjoy a film with such a serious message, Lola said that scriptwriter Titin Watimena, who has produced screenplays for romantic films like “Tentang Dia” (“About Her”) and “LOVE,” has managed to incorporate a love story into the movie’s structure. The movie is in its final stages of editing and will be released on April 21, 2010, in Jakarta and May 1, 2010, in Surabaya, East Java.