The Poet

Set during the violent takeover by Suharto in 1965, the film is based on the memories of Ibrahim Kadir, a poet. For 22 days in jail, the film retells what he witnessed - depressing and sorrowful experiences. One of Ibrahim’s duties in jail was to put a sack over his cellmates’ head who are then executed in an unknown location, without any trial. Those who are in jail do not know when or whether their turn to be executed is going to be. The waiting is excruciating. Under these circumstances, Ibrahim Kadir is compelled to write and perform his poems, from the memories that constantly haunt him. Different reactions are seen from those who are in jail, and from the ladies who work in the jail kitchen.