Peace Process

Peace Process is the fascinating new political drama about the conflict in Aceh, Indonesia from 1991 to 2004. We follow a war journalist as he fights against the bureaucratic forces which aim to silence the truth, and to expose the horrific realities of the oppression against the Aceh people. It’s a strong short, and one which should be seen. In terms of its overall narrative structure, you’ll notice that the film experiments with chronology: we’ll go from one scene depicting legal proceedings, followed by a scene of our protagonist in the thick of the conflict, and then back again to the present. This is an intelligent way of explaining the protagonist’s intentions, and this isn’t the only way the film uses perspective and form to tell an engaging story.

One of the most effective characteristics of the movie’s visual style is how long focal lengths will be implemented to compress space. This works particularly well within the conference/court setting – wherein the significant space between people sitting across from one another at tables is emphasised through the filmic language. The lens makes it so two subjects in an over-the-shoulder shot occupy a balanced place in the frame, removing the space between them through compression. And yet, this also infuses the images with a claustrophobic realism; a documentary aesthetic combined with something cinematic and vivid. This is intelligent direction, and a sign of a higher-level product. On another technical point, it should be noted how spatial geography – in terms of blocking and eye-lines – is executed pretty seamlessly, which is not so easy when it comes to sequences consisting of tens of people occupying the same space.

In contrast, the main issue with the film’s look is, unfortunately, the lighting and colour. Although, that’s not to suggest that there aren’t strong examples of both practices in the picture -- there is. A clear display of competence and ability is present throughout; however, viewers may find that certain shots look slightly flat. For the dramatic sensibility the filmmakers have chosen, one would like to see a lighting style which incorporates more darkness into the mix, and perhaps a more dynamic and interesting colour palette. It might be that there is, in fact, strong lighting in its making; but sadly, most evidence of this is lost to the washed-out digital medium. The sterile white light makes sense in the abstract for procedural scenes, but the picture misses a trick by not matching the aesthetic with the often heightened tone – this is, after all, work filled with emotional monologues and expository dialogue, which it uses to its advantage.

On the other hand, audiences may not pay so much attention to these technical nit-picks when its overwhelming strength is in its prescient story and social intent. We not only admire the progressive attitudes the film displays, but find ourselves being actively confronted with the terror of injustice. This, in turn, may also encourage the spectator to consider the state of their modern world (horrors of the oppression of Palestinian people certainly occupied my mind while viewing). All this to demonstrate that, despite stylistic missteps, this is a mostly strong and thought-provoking piece. Affecting for its complex portrayal of geo-politics; admirable for its aim to bring real-world atrocities to light and depict an individual inspired to fight for the truth.