A Portrait of Human Trafficking

There are countless heart-wrenching stories of human trafficking around the world, most of which are untold. In 2005, Unicef decided to take a creative approach to the problem in Indonesia and commissioned playwright Ratna Sarumpaet to create a work to raise awareness of the issue. To reach a larger audience, Ratna has adapted her play, “The Whore and the President,” into a film, retitled “Jamila dan Sang Presiden” (“Jamila and the President”).

The film centers around Jamila (Atiqah Hasiholan), a troubled woman who is a prostitute, murderer and an activist against human trafficking. Her wretched tale begins when a prominent political figure is found murdered and Jamila confesses to the crime.

Most of the film is set in jail, where Jamila is confronted with a stern prison warden, while outside, incessant religious fanatics demand she be sentenced to death.

A series of flashbacks explain Jamila’s sexually dark and troubled history, including how she became mired in the sex trade, being taken from her village and ending up in Jakarta, reminding the audience that human trafficking does not only occur between different countries; it occurs within Indonesia, between villages, cities and islands as well.

Through her flashbacks, the audience understands why Jamila is cynical of society and its mores. She reveals more in her conversations with the prison warden, played by veteran actress Christine Hakim.

Surya Saputra plays the prison guard, who finds a kindred spirit in the incarcerated Jamila. “My character is a very straight and narrow guy in a system that is crooked,” he said. “Jamila is a product of the crooked law, so we have that in common.”

To write the script of the original play, Ratna interviewed real-life sex-trade victims. Over six months, she visited sex workers in Surabaya, Garut, Surakarta in Java and also Kalimantan Island.

“You have to be around them to try and understand how someone could have the heart to sell their children, simply because they need money to buy food, and to imagine what it is like to be someone with no money.”

When the play was performed around the country in 2006 to rave reviews, Ratna realized she could use her story in a national campaign against human trafficking, and she began producing the screen adaptation two years ago.

The story on screen has a spartan feel, supported by the cinematography. The beautiful clean suburban and urban spaces where Jamila’s wealthy friend and past lovers live are juxtaposed with the grimy and austere prison quarters. Instead of forcing dramatic close-ups on the audience, Ratna lets the emotional gravity of highly charged scenes evoke emotion. The most powerful moment in the movie is filled with silence and long shadows.

The use of flashback helps avoid tedium, but the brevity with which the multitude of characters are introduced and their relationship with each other leaves the audience with unanswered questions.

Intertwined in the story are subplots of romance and scandal to appeal to a wide audience. The casting of well-known, attractive actors gives the film a commercial edge.

Overall, “Jamila dan Sang Presiden” is engaging because of its dramatic subject and well-measured pace. For the director, the movie has a sole criterion — to raise awareness of a subject seldom talked about.