Gina S. Noer Reveals the Reason for Making 'ME BEFORE ME', Starting from a Question from Her Child

During a press conference for the Netflix Family Festival 2026: World of Wonder in Jakarta, Gina revealed that the idea for the film's story came from a conversation with her child. That simple question made her realize many things about her own family.

"This is a personal film for me because it started from a question from my second child who loves history. A few years ago, when he was 14 years old, he asked my mother, who was born in 1945, what it felt like to be born when Indonesia was not yet independent and to grow up when Indonesia had just gained independence. That question made me realize that I didn't really know my family's history or had never seriously looked at what my parents' situation was like when they were growing up, including how colonialism has shaped our relationships to this day," she said during the press conference in Senayan City, Saturday (11/7).

According to Gina, the experience then evolved into a story that not only talks about the relationship between children and parents. She wants to present a film that invites the audience to understand themselves through family history.

The director hopes this film can become a space for reflection for anyone trying to come to terms with their past. For her, family is the first place someone learns to understand love and accept themselves. "This film is for everyone who feels triggered to get to know themselves better, providing an opportunity for family members to love one another, see history more broadly than just what is memorized in school, and encourage ourselves to become a big family that helps each other," she said.

In addition to Gina, this film also stars Widuri Puteri, Prastiwi Dwiarti, Poppy Sovia, and Aming. All the characters are present to strengthen the story about family, environment, and the search for identity.