Sokola Rimba

Title translation: School for Jungle People

Indonesia after Reformation. After working for three years in a conservation center in Jambi, Butet Manurung (Prisia Nasution) finds the life she wants to live: by teaching the children of Suku Anak Dalam how to read, write and count. Suku Anak Dalam, also known as Orang Rimba (Jungle People) live in the upstream of Makekal River in Bukit Duabelas forest.    

One day in the middle of the jungle Butet gets malaria. An unknown child comes and rescues her. Nyungsang Bungo, the child, comes from Makekal’s downstream, about seven hours from where Butet teaches. The kid discreetly has watched Teacher Butet when teaching.

The encounter with Bungo makes Butet realise that she has to widen the scope of her work area toward the downstream. Unfortunately her wish receives no approval from the society where she works, nor from Bungo’s group who still believe that reading and writing will bring forth calamities.

But Bungo’s intelligence and determination drives Butet to keep searching for ways to teach the kid, until a disaster feared by Bungo’s group truly happened. Butet then has to part ways with the Jungle People that she loves.