[REVIEW] 'AWAL & AKHIR', Journey of a Broken Band Called Arah

Kapanlagi.com - Not many production houses in Indonesia do what Visinema Pictures is doing now. They search for an intellectual property and develop it extensively. They don't stop at just one successful or unsuccessful adaptation at the box office, but continue to search for other sources.

It is noted how they started with FILOSOFI KOPI, which was originally a short story by Dewi 'Dee' Lestari. It not only became a film, but also a series and a chain of beverage stores popular among urban communities. Now, through the book of quotes titled Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini by Marchella FP, Angga Dwimas Sasongko, and their team based in South Jakarta, it seems like they have found a new playground.

After the film version of NANTI KITA CERITA TENTANG HARI INI attracted 2.2 million viewers during its initial release last year, they followed it up with STORY OF KALE: WHEN SOMEONE'S IN LOVE, a spin-off featuring the character Kale (who successfully made the audience fall in love with him but at the same time had a reputation as a f*ck boy). Continuing from Marchella's book, they have now released a limited series titled AWAL & AKHIR as the opening for 2021.

1. The Beginning of Arah Band's Journey

© Visinema Pictures

This series by Sabrina Rochelle Kalangie highlights Arah, the name of a band led by Arga (played by Roy Sungkono), Samo (played by Tanta Ginting), Carissa (played by Azizah Hanum), and Freddy (played by Gilbert Pohan).

While in NANTI KITA CERITA TENTANG HARI INI Arah is portrayed as a successful band loved by young people, including the character Awan (played by Rachel Amanda), this five-episode series is the beginning of the band's career journey in the pop-rock genre. It is worth noting that although Arah is indeed the name of the band led by Roy, Tanta, Hanum, and Gilbert in the real world, the story in this series is entirely fictional.

2. Using Standard Music Drama Tropes

To be honest, AWAL & AKHIR doesn't offer anything new. As a music drama, it still uses the tropes of this genre where the characters: 1) Form a band, 2) Encounter internal and external conflicts, and then 3) Participate in a music competition that brings them together.

Uniquely, this series manages to present different conflicts in each episode. At the beginning of each duration before the intro, there is always a hook to keep the audience engaged. This trick works quite well, especially if it is intended to keep them hooked. It also helps viewers get used to watching local series on streaming platforms while being comfortable in front of the television.

3. Conflict Only on the Surface

© Visinema Pictures

However, with the accumulation of conflicts, coupled with an average episode duration of 12 minutes, nothing is really explored deeper, only on the surface. So when it finally reaches the final episode, the emotions that were trying to be built from the beginning inevitably become broken.

Fortunately, the presence of songs composed by Andre Harihandoyo is adjusted to the mood of the story. To some extent, it is able to contribute to conveying the desired emotions.

Apart from that, if we follow Visinema's track record, AWAL & AKHIR is considered the lightest show they have ever produced in terms of storyline. To watch all the episodes, it can be consumed in just one sitting because the total duration is approximately only one hour.

(kpl/abs/rsp)