Janji Joni

**** (out of *****)

Janji Joni is an Indonesian movie which was made with audience in mind. After an endless series of low quality teen flicks and pretentious art films, Janji Joni feels like pure oxygen amidst the heavily-polluted Jakarta. It's hip, fresh, original, witty, and may not be as light as it appears to be. This, undoubtedly, will be the first commercially and critically successful Indonesian movie that really deserves it for a long time.

Writer/director Joko Anwar has created a movie that oozes with charm and intelligence. The story itself, if you think about it, is actually a bit absurd. But Anwar plays it like an expert juggler. Naturalistic acting blends so well with a potentially campy storyline. It's technically crude but nevertheless fascinating. Some ineptness actually adds to the film's charm. Full of memorable scenes that will make audience want to revisit over and over again.