Review of Before, Now & Then / Nana, directed by Kamila Andini

Last year, as the Asian American Film Festival in New York, I ended up having the opportunity to see Kamila Andini’s film Yuni, which put her on my radar. When I ended up seeing in our channel at MovieWeb that there was an opportunity to see her newest film, Before, Now & Then (known in Indonesian as Nana) and to interview her, I jumped at the chance.

I knew I wanted to have this discussion with her, and it ended up happening. So if you want to read my interview with Kamila, I recommend checking out the bottom of my writing tab on this site. I’ve linked my interview to her there—that’s how proud I am of it.

This was such a fascinating movie to watch. I feel like Indonesian cinema needs to have its moment on the global stage, which is why it’s incredible that directors like Andini are starting to get the recognition they deserve from the international film festivals and whatnot. I don’t want to ramble too much in the introduction, so let’s get into the review!

In a transition period of Indonesian history, a woman grapples with her loneliness.

A key aspect to note about this movie is that if you’re not familiar with what happened in Indonesia during the period directly after independence from the Dutch, I would recommend reading up on it before and after. It’s a brutal, sad part of history and we see that in the beginning with our protagonist, Nana.

She is fleeing from her home village, and has to live with the knowledge that her husband was killed in the violence and then there’s a scene where her father is being led away to be killed himself.

Years later, she has found a new husband that’s fairly successful. He’s wealthy, they have a gorgeous home, but Nana still feels empty despite having it all. She shares smiles with her young daughter, who wants to spend time with her throughout the movie, but when Nana goes back into her bedroom each night, she’s haunted by the nightmares of what she left behind.

Although the Indonesian title of the movie is Nana, I think the English title of Before, Now & Then tracks the three distinct periods in this woman’s life.

Things start to look different for her when she befriends her husband’s mistress, something that she probably shouldn’t do but does anyways because why not? As the two end up growing closer, they find a form of liberation with each other.

Being a woman is hard in this life, especially in Indonesian during the fifties, and these two women have additional traumas they have to grapple with in their daily lives as well.

This is a film set on the island of Java within Indonesia, and the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. Most of the film takes place inside of the home (Andini told me in our interview this is because of COVID-19 and shooting during the pandemic), where the massive space juxtaposes against the tiny frame of this one woman.

The culture of the island also seeps into the film throughout the movie, whether it’s the fabrics or kind of music that’s playing in the background.

I’d describe this very much as a quiet film, as there’s not a ton of dialogue sprinkled throughout the narrative. It’s very much settled in this feeling of loneliness that Nana has, and because of that, it’s quiet. I thought that this lended well to the moodier atmosphere that lurks beneath the stunning visuals.

Some have described this similar to Wong Kar-wai, but I think Kamila Andini is paving a different kind of legacy—one made by women.

Overall Thoughts

I liked this movie a lot, and I think it and Yuni will have a special place in my heart for a hot minute. I am a very big Kamila Andini fan at this point, and I think that anyone interested in historical period pieces, melodramas, or Indonesian history should watch this movie if they haven’t already. It’s stunning to watch, although some might think of it as a little slow for their taste.

Lots of incredible acting is also packed into this one for those more interested in craft.

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