Beyond the city lights and the endless stream of cars, we are invited to see the other side of the road. The roar of the engine bursts forth with unbridled passion. A naked motorbike and customized engine, it snakes through traffic, overtaking everything in front of it. Loud and dangerous.
Seen through Zalmi’s eyes, a vocational school student from Bireuen, we are taken to see another side of the street racers. Forced to Be Wild (Muhammad Al Hafiz, 2025) exposes Zalmi and his world, who is protesting about the limited facilities available to support his hobbies and dreams. He is forced to wander on a crowded highway full of various vehicles since there is no government-built circuit to localize racing. As a result, he and his friends are often forced into a cat-and-mouse chase with the patrolling police, who have watched them from the shadows as they race.
For the owners of racing motorcycles and the jockeys, being arrested by the police is a risk that they are very familiar with. They know what they’re doing breaks the rules. However, the limited space and the amount of passion and aspiration to do the race made them desperate to do anything, including being wild and getting chased.
Zalmi is part of a racing team, where teenagers of his age gather together. Everyone has their own role: the one who is in charge of the motorbike, the one who organizes the team, and the jockey himself. They collectively always devise strategies to simply train to take part in official races. The risk of being disbanded–and even arrested–by the police is always there. Ironically, behind Zalmi and his friends’ world, the race that was considered official was also disturbing. The race is held in the street by closing it. It has disturbed some residents since it blocks their daily routines. The highways are not for the race. It is for public transportation, where they are forced to pull aside for several hours, clearing it for the race to unfold. A complaint that Zalmi and his friends are aware of.
For Zalmi, racing and being a racer are his dream, and he will fight for it. However, he is faced with a reality that makes him go wild on the dark and risky night streets. During this 19-minute documentary, we will be exposed to various forms of protest and resistance of young racers over their condition and the absence of accommodating support from the government. (Ahmad Radhitya Alam) (Ed. Vanis/Trans. Shafira Rahmasari)
Film Details
Forced to Be Wild (Terpaksa Liar)
Muhammad Al Hafiz | 19 min | 2025 | Aceh, Indonesia
In Competition for Student Documentary
Festival Film Dokumenter 2025
