A Punk Daydream

A Punk Daydream is about a group of young punks surviving on the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. Eka and his friends have escaped parental and school authority, and strive for individual freedom amid smouldering waste. They have a dim view of Indonesia’s future which, since the end of the Suharto era, has struggled with corruption, environmental pollution and poverty.

The boys’ (facial) tattoos both symbolise and create their break with society, as they have a stigmatising effect. Tattoo bearers are assumed to be criminal and can hardly find work. The punks feel kinship with the Dayak people, who have traditional tattoos and try to cling to their centuries-old lifestyle, knowing full well their culture will ultimately disappear: along with the rain forest.

The filmmakers ingeniously intertwine documentary, video art and photography with fairy-tale traditions and contemporary reality. Eka hopes to reconnect to society by acting out his own story in the film. Part of EarWORM.

Introduction by artist/curator Reinaart Vanhoe on the situation of young artists in Indonesia today.