My Thoughts: Like & Share (2022)
Like & Share is an Indonesian film directed by Gina S. Noer, the same director who did Dua Garis Biru. The movie is centered around two high school students who are dwelling on their own problems, one is a victim of a sexual abuse, while the other is addicted to porn. Debuted last year, I think this film got a bit overshadowed by the real life drama from one of the main actress. And what a shame that was, because this movie delivered.
Had to give credits where its due. This was probably my second time watching Arawinda’s acting, and damn she’s definitely one of Indonesia’s young actress that I’ll be looking forward in the future. Her filmography so far has been nothing but exciting to me. Aurora’s acting could be improved, but I think she did pretty well. I’ve also been a fan of the director since watching Dua Garis Biru, another brilliant movie by her, and this has cemented her further into my list of directors I’ll be keeping my eyes on.
Disclaimer: if you haven’t watch the film, you might want to skip this!
This film had me in tears at the end. As the sex scene of Devan and Sarah came on the screen, admittedly I had to stop the film for a few seconds because I was feeling nauseous. I am reminded that being in a relationship does not mean that it’s always going to be safe. Being in a relationship does not mean that women can’t be coerced.
This film reminded me, that being a women puts me in a more vulnerable position in bed. As I kept watching it, I was frightened and disgusted at the same time. I thought to myself, how many women conceded, not because they actually want to have sex, but because they fear the consequences of not giving consent? Have I ever done that, unconsciously?
The consequences could come in different forms. It could be physical and it could also be something that affects our mental state (e.g. losing the relationship, losing the affection of our partner, etc). There are always consequences to our decisions. But do we always know what the consequences are when making those decisions? No, we don’t.
Either way, these consequences come into factors when deciding, a lot. Which is why I think that while logically speaking the decision of giving or not giving consent seemed like an easy thing to do, it is not at all easy. For some, it is a life altering decision.
More often than not, it is not an easy decision to make for women, and for that, my heart is broken. As women, we are at one of our most vulnerable state in bed, and I hope that in the future we can have more voices in it. I hope our voices grow louder and they are heard.
While I loved it, this film is not without its flaw. The porn addiction got dwindled halfway through the film. The what I presume to be a one sided crush from the lead is also not explored much.
But just like any other art, I don’t think perfection exist in movies. I applaud the film for what it conveyed and portrayed. So yes, if you haven’t watch it, I would definitely recommend it!
