Jakarta. The title of the Indonesian drama movie “Perayaan Mati Rasa” can be roughly translated to English as “celebrating one’s numb feelings”. This is the story of a guy who tries to bury all his feelings after losing his father until he is numb.

Directed by former child star Umay Shahab, “Perayaan Mati Rasa” centers on Ian Antono (Iqbaal Ramadhan). He is a twenty-something aspiring rockstar with his not-so-popular four-man band Midnight Serenade. Ian is the polar opposite of his younger brother Uta Antono (Umay Shahab): a famous podcaster and a happy-go-lucky guy. Ian feels insecure to his brother and assumes that his parents -- ship captain Satya Antono (Dwi Sasono) and sickly mom Dini Antono (Unique Priscilla) favor the more successful Uta over him. The musician also struggles with a strained relationship with his father. The film’s conflict arises when Satya suddenly dies on duty. The news comes at a time when the mother is hospitalized. Not only do the Antono brothers have to deal with the sudden loss, but they have to keep their fragile mother in the dark for the sake of her health. 

The two-hour-long “Perayaan Mati Rasa” has a good pacing. The plot does not kill Satya right off the bat. It lets the audience take a deep dive into the Antonos’ family dynamics. The pacing helps the audience connect with Ian’s character and understand the choices he makes as the story progresses.

Umay incorporates many sea symbolisms in the movie to describe Ian’s character development. To Ian, the sea holds a special place in his heart. One of Ian’s fondest childhood memories with his father is when he takes him and his brother to the sea. The young adult Ian even writes a song titled “Laut” (‘Sea’) to convey the growing distance between him and his papa. 

Umay splits the story’s narrative into chapters named after layers of the ocean to portray Ian’s progress through the stages of grief. The closer we get to the shore, the more accepting Ian has become of his father’s death. He also finally overcomes the guilt that he feels for pushing his father away when he was still alive. There are a lot of times when Ian "surrounds himself" in blue or elements of water. His clothes often have hints of blue, not to mention the blue lighting during the concert and his room as he drowns himself in the sea of emotions. Ian’s last argument with Satya has the boy muffling his father’s nagging with the sounds of sea waves. 

The story plays with the question of when exactly is the “perfect time” to break the news of someone’s death. Given the mother’s weak heart, the Antono brothers decide to act as if the father is still alive in the sea. They even go through the lengths of using a voice changer to pretend to be their dad to calm Dini. But Uta is right: they can’t keep up the charade forever. There is never a “perfect time” to tell their mom, and her husband’s death is a bitter pill that she has to swallow. As expected, Dini eventually learns what has actually happened to her husband. The scene of Dini telling her kids that she deserves to know the truth so she can pray for him is something that moves the audience.

Surprisingly, “Perayaan Mati Rasa” also touches on capitalism. Ian’s band Midnight Serenade immediately rises to popularity after Satya’s death becomes national news. Their song 'Laut', which Ian writes with his father in mind, has also gone viral. The group has been desperate about getting noticed, and they later fail to get recruited by a major label. But to the label, Midnight Serenade is just another cash cow.  They strip the group of their creative freedom, forcing the rock band to write sad music to ride the wave as the whole country grieves for Satya. The movie is also a slap in the face for the media who oftentimes struggle to cover a person’s death in a more empathetic way. We see reporters chasing Ian’s car to get a statement or two although the guy clearly is not in the mood. Ian lashes out to reporters during the band’s presser after an insensitive question about Satya’s death.

“Perayaan Mati Rasa” is also doing a good job in other departments. The scene of Iqbaal’s Ian crying as he watches old videos of his father takes the cake in the acting department. Iqbaal’s wailing and sobs make it one of the most realistic crying in an Indonesian movie. 

The film, which has amassed 416,167 viewers so far, has heavy musical elements, mainly due to the cast’s background. This includes Dul Jaelani -- son of the popular musician-turned-politician Ahmad Dhani -- who plays as Midnight Serenade’s guitarist Saka. The fictional band’s drummer is also played by Randy Danishta, the keyboardist of the pop-rock band Nidji. Director-cum-actor Umay was also known to be a singer as a child. With such a strong combination, “Perayaan Mati Rasa” comes with songs that the audience can add to their playlist, starting from “Laut” to “Sampai Jumpa” (‘Farewell’). Umay also did a collab with Natania Karin for the titular song “Perayaan Mati Rasa”.

The verdict: "Perayaan Mati Rasa" is a nicely written “love letter” to those who have lost their papa or their beloved one in general. It walks us through the stages of grief. Accepting a loved one’s death can take weeks, months, or even years. But we will eventually make peace with grief.