In the Absence of the Sun

IMDb 7.7 high score!

Gia returns home after living abroad for years. Calling Jakarta "home" is ironic as she experiences reverse culture shock. In a desperate attempt to latch on to her identity, Gia reunites with Naomi, a lover from her past. Naomi reminds her of her old life; a life when everything was possible. What she doesn't expect is that Naomi has changed, that she has conformed to the societal norms of the city. Indri wants to find a prince charming who will sweep her off her feet and serves her a silver platter. Her job as a towel girl in a local gym is not promising. She has to climb up the societal ladder with the only thing she can offer: her body. It is not prostitution; her body is her own, her right, regardless of how the society views it. She decides to meet with a prince charming through online dating, a place where identities are obscured. Mrs. Surya has just lost her husband. In fact, she has lost her whole life because he was her life. People even know her only through her husband's name. She finds there is nothing to hang on to anymore. As she goes through her late husband's belongings, she finds out about another woman in his life: a prostitute/lounge singer named Sofia.

"A very beautifully shot film, which manages to combine entertainment and meaningfulness in a very appealing way."-Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse