Ariani Darmawan Returns to Directing with Tokyo Competition Title ‘Jani Be Good’

Indonesian filmmaker Ariani Darmawan has returned to feature directing after a decade-long hiatus focused on raising her family. Her debut feature, "Jani Be Good," is screening in the Asian Future competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

A Portrait of Three Generations

Set across four December days before Christmas, the narrative follows 13-year-old Jani. After overhearing an argument between her 18-year-old sister Julia and their single mother, Winnie—an accountant who also takes on fruit hamper orders—Julia leaves home. Jani maintains secret contact with Julia while navigating tension with Winnie and finding support from her grandmother, Oma, who sells spring rolls to fund her own cremation. The household belongs to a Chinese-Catholic family.

• Cast Members: Chempa Puteri, Sigi Wimala, Tutie Kirana, and Hyori Mika.
• Production Team: Co-written by Darmawan and Cyntha Hariadi; produced by Meiske Taurisia for Palari Films.

Themes of Motherhood and Silence

Darmawan stated that returning to filmmaking stemmed from her desire to explore the unseen care work and emotional dynamics of family life. She noted that becoming a mother in her late thirties reshaped her perspective on her own mother's exhaustion.

"Family problems are the same whether it’s all women or a mix of men and women, if there’s a problem in there to begin with," Darmawan said regarding the all-female household dynamic. She observed that communication often breaks down in Asian families where disagreements are met with silence to avoid conflict, inadvertently creating generational wounds.

Production and Distribution Context

Produced by Palari Films, the feature was shot in 13 days inside a Bandung house following two months of script readings and rehearsals. Palari plans to release the film in Indonesian cinemas.

Producer Meiske Taurisia noted structural challenges within Indonesian distribution, citing a lack of archipelago-wide distributors and the pressure of a single Thursday-to-Sunday theatrical evaluation window. To address regional access, Palari launched the Palari Community Class workshop series, making "Jani Be Good" its first test project for community-led screenings.