When Soeharto rose to power in Indonesia in 1965, among his most sweeping actions was a mass purge against members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), killing thousands and sending floods of people into exile. Decades later, the effects of his 31-year-long rule persist. This meticulously researched documentary follows former PKI members who fled to Europe. Deftly weaving together archival footage and present-day interviews, it thoughtfully captures their displaced sense of belonging and the way they carry the traumas of the past–a nation’s history telling through the lens of the personal.
Lola Amaria
Lola Amaria started her early career as an actress working with notable Indonesian directors in various Asian co-productions. She began directing her first feature fiction, Betina (2006). Her second feature, Sunday Morning in Victoria Park (2009), received 9 nominations and won an award for Best Editing in Festival Film Indonesia. She also directed and produced the omnibus Sanubari Jakarta (2012). She continued to produce and direct films that widely gained national recognition, including Country without Ears (2014), Inerie (2014), Jingga (2016), Labuan Hati (2017), Lima (2018), and 6.9 Seconds (2019). The Exiles (2022) is her documentary directorial debut.
They were merely students when the government sent them out to pursue education abroad. An experience expected to bear good results instead left them estranged, cast out, and unrecognized by their beloved country. How are they now? The Exiles (Lola Amaria, 2022) allows us to see their story in all its pain. The first minute…
