Jakarta. To the people out there who are about to watch Rudi Soedjarwo’s family drama “Bila Esok Ibu Tiada” (‘If Mother is Gone Tomorrow’), don’t forget to bring tissues -- lots of them. If you are wearing makeup, make sure you use waterproof mascara.

From the title alone, you can immediately tell that the plot centers on maternal bond. The story starts with a portrait of close-knit family: Papa Haryo (Slamet Rahardjo), Mom Rahmi (Christine Hakim), eldest daughter and independent career woman Ranika (Adinia Wirasti), music producer brother Rangga (Fedi Nuril), soap opera actress sister Rania (Amanda Manopo), as well as the youngest daughter and artistic university student Hening (Yasmin Napper). 

Right off the bat, “Bila Esok Ibu Tiada” tries to make the audience cry with the father dying. More conflicts emerge after the father’s passing. The kids have all grown up. They have become busier with their personal lives. They forget the now-widowed mom’s birthday, and cannot take Mama to the hospital for her regular check-ups. Ranika feels pressured as the eldest child and looks down on her younger siblings over their career choices. The sick mom misses her husband to death and feels saddened by her children’s constant fighting.

One might wonder why “Bila Esok Ibu Tiada” puts way too much focus on the conflicts and not enough bonding moments. It is only until after the mother dies in the latter part of the movie that the audience finally sees the heartwarming interactions between the family members. This is probably the message that “Bila Esok Ibu Tiada” is trying to get across. When spending time with our loved ones, we tend to focus on the bad things and take the good for granted. We only realize the happy moments once they are no longer with us. 

“Bila Esok Ibu Tiada” uses kintsugi -- the Japanese art of mending the cracks in a broken pottery with urushi lacquer -- as a symbol to portray family relationships. The cracks symbolize the imperfections. No family is perfect. Each has its own set of problems and conflicting personalities. But families still have that bond that glues them together, and they have to learn to embrace the imperfections.

The acting department becomes a major driving force for this tearjerker, especially Christine Hakim’s performance. The seasoned actress undoubtedly portrays the role of a grieving wife and caring mother really well. The scene of Rahmi crying her heart out when visiting her husband’s grave is among the scenes that linger days after you step out of the cinema. 

The movie also gets the audience immersed by relying on one-take shots in its emotional moments. This includes the birthday dinner scene, which officially opens the audience’s eyes to the disharmony in the family. The uninterrupted, continuous shot makes the audience feel that they are actually in the room or even part of the family. 

All in all, “Bila Esok Ibu Tiada” is a tearjerker that will make you cry ugly. It also becomes a breath of fresh air to the Indonesian movie scene that remains dominated by B-horrors. No wonder the movie has attracted 2.4 million viewers in just 10 days since its theatrical release.

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