Movie Review : I Am Hope

9:22:00 PM

Hello guys!

As you might already know, i am quite a movie buff. I love watching movies in the cinema and i always do a monthly movie reviews (speaking of which, January movie reviews will be mashed with February's and i'll post it in March for a reason which i'll be explaining in the said post, stay tune!). I also always try to support Indonesian industries (by wearing Indonesian made products, among all), including movie industry so i'm pretty much always on the lookout for a good local movie to support.

That's why when Fika hooked me up with one of the latest Indonesian movies' nobar event (nobar means "nonton bareng", loosely translated into "watch together", sort of like a premiere and supposed to include the actors, producers, etc) for I am Hope the movie, i was quite excited ^^.

Due to some issues, the nobar didn't quite happen *LOL*, well it did-but purely among bloggers only haha.

Before we talk more about the movie, let's take a look at the trailer :

All of my readers can watch the trailer (and the movie) because there's an English translation in it.

About the movie.

I Am Hope is a movie about this young girl, Mia, who had a pretty successful parents working in artistic industries. Her mum was a famous theater director (whose passion is shared strongly by Mia) and her dad a famous music composer. Growing up, Mia had pretty much everything. She also has this imaginary friend called Maia (whose fashion sense is off the park. Love it!) who's always around her whenever she needs her. Mia could never need her more than when her mum was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away within months.

Mia and her dad (who pretty much lost all of his mojo when his beloved wife was diagnosed) now live modestly since they sold pretty much everything of value to pay for Mia's mum's treatments-but they are still happy-until one day Mia herself's diagnosed with the same disease that took her mum's life.

Despite her dad's insistent on her focusing on her treatment (rightfully so too, i mean... The dude lost his wife and then his only daughter's diagnosed with the exact same thing? That's cruel, man!), Mia is adamant about making her dream of being a theater director a reality. And despite all of the hardship, she and Maia still fight to make their dreams a reality-including by trying to get in touch with a famous theater producer that used to work with her dad.

Thanks to Maia (who represents Mia's HOPE), cancer also didn't hinder Mia from having a love life. She met David, a good looking (if you like the type. Not mine *LOL*), slightly awkward but super gentleman actor who ended up helping her to finally really got recognized by the theater producer Mia idolized, Rama. Mia's dream's almost a reality, but at the same time her condition is worsening and she needs to make a fast choice-her life or her LIFE (as in her passion and dreams).

I want y'all to go check out the movie so i won't spoil the ending for y'all, but i can tell you one thing : it's good.

I am not much of a drama movie kind of person, but I Am Hope did not bore me for a sec, because the storyline is so engaging and it's peppered with good humor, i found myself chuckling in many scenes. The central characters are also developed so well that i root for them.

What i love about the movie? For one, the acting. I was gripped with Tio Pakusodewo's acting as the father-but that's totally expected from such an experienced, veteran actor-what i did not expect is how good the leading actress' acting was.

Tatjana Saphira is Mia in I am Hope

I'm not gonna lie, i don't really follow Indonesian entertainment industry so my knowledge for local actors are severely limited. I've never heard or seen Tatjana before, but her acting was so natural and engaging that i developed an admiration for her, especially after i learnt that she's only 19 years old! OMG! I can so see a bright future in front of her. Btw, hunny mentioned that from some angles she looks like her screen mom-Febby Febiola, and that's awesome!

I also love how Mia is sick but she's still super strong at the same time. She's not a damsel in distress, she didn't milk her condition to her advantage and she is not the typical woman who lost her head when she's in love. That's a strong woman alright, and strong women deserves my admiration.

Another thing that i love is their portrayal of Maia, the imaginary BFF. She's not depicted as your usual "fairy" in glossy light and feathery costume, instead she looks like your regular, uber hip and cool boho-style BFF. At the same time, hey devil may care attitude and carefree style makes the comparison to Mia' reserved, nerdy, prissy style even more stark. I feel that not only Maia represents Mia's hope, she also represent the other side of her-the wild child, if you may. I believe we all have that side (some more dominant than others) and it's fun that they touched on this in such a way.

I really enjoyed I Am Hope, and i won't lie-i cried quite a bit *LOL*. And i said this many times, when a movie successfully made me cry : it's good :p.

This movie is actually inspired by Gelang Harapan (bracelet of hope), which you can buy to support cancer patients because the profit is donated to cancer foundations. You can buy the bracelet online or at the booths in cinemas while the movie is playing.

Bracelet of Hope's booth in Ciputra World Surabaya

I love how the bracelet looks like, they're really pretty! Isn't it awesome that you can support the cause, wear the support and actually looks good wearing it? All the bloggers invited to the Nobar are gifted a bracelet, i haven't gotten mine yet but i can't wait to rock it. And yes, i will buy more with my own money!

I love nothing more than a good movie with a good heart and a good purpose, i believe I Am Hope is one. Not gonna lie that i was a bit annoyed with the event's organizer, but that shouldn't cloud my judgement of a good movie.

I Am Hope the Movie Facebook Page

I Am Hope the Movie Instagram

Gelang Harapan Instagram

I want to thank Fika for inviting me, and for y'all : go watch the movie!

#Pink