Morning in Tinambung, West Sulawesi, starts early. The sun was still tucked away in the darkness when Sa’diang had to get up and go. The empty jerry cans were waiting to be filled with fresh water from the small wells on the banks of the Mandar River. Sa’diang is ready to take on the morning and her livelihood in the still-glowing moonlight.
“…How are you, Nurul? This drought/ Do you still often make a small well by the river? While singing the song/ ‘Polaio potaq, Poleo randang’/ Or stirring a glass of coffee for your father who just came home after working on someone’s rice field? / Or helping your mother bundle vegetables to be sold at the market early tomorrow morning? / How are you, Nurul? / Do you still believe as I do / only well water by the river / clear as a cleanser / fresh as an antidote…”
As far back as Tinambung residents can remember, the purity of the Mandar River has always been favored. The local tongue is more familiar with local fresh water than mineral water from gallons. Clear as a cleanser/fresh as an antidote. This is exactly what Suaib S. Syamsul, a poet from Mandar, wrote in his poem entitled “Apa Kabar, Nurul?”.
Amidst the roaring current of the Mandar River, Sa’diang and her female friends, the passauq wai (water collectors), float with dozens of jerry cans on their backs. A drone camera shot makes them look like butterflies with wide wings. It’s a beautiful, yet disturbing sight.
The figure of a woman who is expected, as well as always required, to show her femininity is bound by the reality and narrative built in Butterfly on a River (2024) directed by Ulfa Evitasari. Sa’diang and the other passauq wai struggle to fill and carry their own jerry cans of water. Seeking sustenance without, or if not; minimal, dependence on men. On the other hand, they also continue to cook and perform various domestic roles as women. These dual roles are displayed subtly, without overlapping or interrupting each other. Even so, the women in Butterfly on a River (2024) have power, authority and dominant roles. Their position is not diminished.
The value of love and sisterhood between women is framed among the passauq wai in this 30-minute documentary. Towards dawn, they wake each other up, then exchange silences during the journey to the banks of the Mandar River, and talk about rice stocks as they float home with dozens of jerry cans on their backs. Afterwards, they circle up to eat and crack jokes. And so it goes on and on.
Sa’diang doesn’t speak much, but her resilience and gentleness are reflected in the way she goes about her day on the banks and currents of the Mandar River. One scene shows Sa’diang floating on the river with no jerry cans strapped to her back, smiling up at the heavy rain pouring down on her body, as if to hint at her calmness and acceptance of the flow of life she has chosen. Sa’diang flows with the Mandar River. Clear as a cleanser/fresh as an antidote. And now, you can see her flowing story in Lanskap FFD 2024. (Hesty N. Tyas) (Ed. Vanis/Trans. Naufal Shabri)
Film Details
Butterfly on a River (Sa’diang Harus Pulang)
Ulfa Evitasari | 30 Min | 2024 | West Sulawesi
Official Selection for Lanskap
Festival Film Dokumenter 2024
Screening Schedule
Nov. 7 | 19:00 WIB | Militaire Societeit, TBY
Nov. 9 | 13:00 WIB | Ruang Seminar, TBY
