Soloevent.id – The tragedy 1998 became one of the interesting history to discuss about. By Leila S. Chudori, the event was raised into a novel entitled Laut Bercerita. It was Biru Laut, a student of the Department of English Literature at one of the universities in Yogyakarta in 1991. At that time, he and his friends joined the Winatra to stir up enthusiasm for the oppressed people.
When dusk comes, they were taken to an unknown place. For months held captive, interrogated, and tortured to be willing to answer an important question: who stood behind the activist and student movements at the time. But in the end, they never returned even though the regime had changed. They are forced to disappear.
Through Laut Bercerita, Leila not only tells how dark the atmosphere faced by students during the events of 1998, but also tells the friendship of activists, romance between them, dedication in the group, families who feel lost, and about love that will not fade .
Although made in fictional format, the depiction of character experiences in this novel is inspired by the true story of activists ‘98. Since 2013, Leila S. Chudori conducted research by interviewing abductees along with the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) as well as other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) engaged in demanding the disclosure of the disappeared cases in the fall of Suharto.
This 379-page novel is divided into two parts, namely Biru Laut which tells from the perspective of students who were victims of the 1998 tragedy who never returned and the narration of Asmara Jati, a sister who had never seen her brother back.
To complement the reader in enjoying this novel, Laut Bercerita is also realized in a 30-minute visual form. In this film, it also tells about the grief and loss of the family of the abductee.
The line actors are, Biru Laut played by Reza Rahadian; Dian Sastrowardoyo who plays Ratih, ship of Biru laut; and Ayushita who became Asmara Jati.
It is planned that book launch will be followed by screened by the Laut Bercerita film. For Solo, book launch and screening of Laut Bercerita will be held on Saturday night, January 27, 2018 at Bentara Budaya Balai Soedjatmoko.
