Indonesian Cinema: The X + Factor
In Indonesia, it seems that sensual content is the quickest path to making money out of a movie, focusing more on the voluptuousness of the main character, than the story or the aesthetic. And because this X + Factor promises more financial gain, adult movies ‘disguised’ as comedies, horrors and action flicks are a plenty these days.
While artistic content or creativity need to be taken lightly, oftentimes what makes a these kinds of film a hit is its controversy. Tali Pocong Perawan (The Virgin Corpse), out in 2008, and horror-comedy Suster Keramas (The Shampooing Nurse) in 2009 are perfect examples that lead to plenty of discussion (and hence exposure), related to its vulgar content. They, nonetheless, did not fail to attract huge numbers of viewers.
Pornography has long been a sensitive issue in Indonesia. Even though Indonesia’s population is predominantly Muslim and henceforth porn is haram