In 2019, the world was introduced to a unique and innovative storytelling experience that broke new ground in the realm of social media and film. “Eva Stories,” a short film created entirely through Instagram Stories, captured the hearts and minds of viewers around the globe. Directed by Mati Kochavi and produced by his daughter, Maya Kochavi, this project asked a compelling question: What if Instagram existed in the past? While exploring this idea, “Eva Stories” also delivered a powerful narrative and imagery as a solemn reminder of the importance of remembering the Holocaust.
The premise of “Eva Stories” is simple yet brilliantly profound. To put it simply, it is based on The Diary of Eva Heyman, where the story follows the life of a young Jewish girl in Hungary during World War II. The film invites us into Eva’s experience through her Instagram stories, as she documented her life during those horrendous times. This ingeniously conveys Eva’s life from the blissful days of youth to the harrowing experiences she and her family endure as the Holocaust unfolds.
Eva Stories tells the story of 13-year-old Jewish girl Eva Heyman during World War II. (Screenshot from Instagram’s @eva.stories)
One of the most remarkable aspects of “Eva Stories” is its ability to blend the familiar format of Instagram Stories with the grim historical backdrop of the Holocaust. The juxtaposition of Eva’s seemingly typical teenage experiences, such as friendships, school, and romance, with the gradual encroachment of Nazi oppression is deeply moving. It reminds us that behind every historical statistic, there is a real person with dreams, hopes, and fears.
The performances in “Eva Stories” are surprisingly incredible, especially by its young lead actress, Mia Quiney, who brought Eva Heyman’s character to life with authenticity and emotion. Her portrayal adds a human touch to the historical narrative, making Eva’s story even more heartbreaking. Oh, and not to mention their meticulously crafted production design, and no, I’m not only talking about the outfits. They have a tank too.
Critics argue that condensing such a complex historical event into Instagram Stories may oversimplify the Holocaust. While this is a valid concern, “Eva Stories” was never intended to be a comprehensive historical account. It serves as a remembrance to what millions of people suffered.
In conclusion, “Eva Stories” is a remarkable piece of cinematic storytelling that bridges the past and present through the innovative use of social media. It somewhat creates a precedent in the potential of cinematic writing; we’ve seen films like “Searching” (2018) and “Missing” (2023), but “Eva Stories” brings something new to the table. Besides the important message that it conveys, this innovation alone is a reason to go see the short film. In a way, this way of storytelling easily takes us to places where (or when) we could not go before. I can’t say that I want to relive the Holocaust, but “Eva Stories” asks us to empathize. It brilliantly synthesizes the impact of both storytelling in the digital age and historical narratives.
You can find the short film through their official Instagram profile @eva.stories
Arnold had been musing for thirty days. He had lost someone who was very precious in his life. She always woke him up every morning. She always cooked his favorite dish. She was always by his side. He stared at the dewy window of his office. He mourned the fate that befell him. He wondered why this disaster could happen to him. Lately, he had been daydreaming more often and sometimes he cried without realizing it. He endured the hollow days patiently and resiliently.
“Mom, why did you leave me so quickly? I still want to spend time with you,” Arnold said in his heart. Yeah, he lost his mother. Her mother passed away in a car accident when she went to London a month ago. He remembered when he heard his mother had passed away. He was very shocked and didn’t believe it. He knew it from his uncle. After the accident, her mother was taken to the hospital by an ambulance. Unfortunately, she had passed away when he arrived at the hospital.
One day after his mother’s death, his mother was cremated at a crematorium in Nottingham, Arnold’s hometown. Arnold sobbed during the cremation process of his mother. He had never felt so sad like this before. He saw his mother for the last time when they were at home. At that time, his mother advised him to become a successful person. She also told him that if she passed away, Arnold should stay focused on his life goals.
Since then, Arnold lived with his father and sister. His father and sister consoled him so that he won’t be sad. However, it didn’t affect Arnold. He remained sad. It was the first time he had to live without his mother. Everything that was on his mind was his mother. He imagined his mother seeing him when he became successful. He regretted not having had the chance to make his mother happy. If he could rewind time, he would have done his best for his mother.
One day, Arnold met Rachel, a new employee at his office. Arnold and she quickly became friends. Rachel was a friendly woman. Arnold told Rachel about his mother and she understood what Arnold had experienced. She tried to comfort him. When lunchtime arrived, she invited him to the cafeteria. Arnold agreed so they went to the cafeteria together.
“I understand what you have experienced, Arnold,” Rachel said to Arnold.
“Thank you for listening to my story,” Arnold answered her.
“You’re welcome Arnold, but you shouldn’t be sad all the time, you have to be strong,” Rachel replied.
“I’m trying, but it’s so hard. Can you tell me what I should do?” Arnold asked.
“You can do your hobby, spend time with your family and friends, and stay physically active. You also need to focus on work so you can achieve your dream. Your mother would be happy seeing you successful,” Rachel said.
“You’re right. From now on, I will focus on work and do anything that makes me happy. Being sad all the time is useless. I deserved to be happy,” Arnold replied.
Since then, they have been getting closer. Arnold promised that he would make his mother happy. He believed that if he worked diligently and tried his best, his mother would be proud of him.
Once, someone told me that the stars above our heads are the souls of those who lived before us. I looked up at the sky, from this field all by myself. In this place, the night is eternal, and I am its guardian.
“They are beautiful. When will my time finally come? It’s been a thousand years,” I let out the weight in my heart with no one to hear them. I was once the same as those stars above; yes, I was a soul myself. I received a gift, but these days, I like to call it a curse—a curse that bound me to this place to put the souls into the sky.
“Speak of the devil, here comes one.” A little spark starts to grow from the ground, and I quickly pick it up with my hands.
“Hello there, Little one. Let’s see which place you belong to.” I lift my hand to the sky, turning it pitch black. Slowly, a pair of stars starts to glow. I nod my head and slowly lift the little spark closer to them.
“There you go, Little bud. May someday you’ll get the chance to come back to the world.” After the little spark turns into a star, everything becomes normal, and once again I find myself alone in this field. Nothing much I can do here, since everything always goes in a circle. Suddenly, a voice echoes, and I know exactly who it is.
“It’s been a thousand years, hm?”
“Greetings to the lord,” I greet the voice with sarcasm. Yes, this is the voice of the one who gave me this curse a thousand years ago.
“Don’t be like that, Young boy. This place chose you back then, and there’s nothing much I can do except reduce the time for you.”
“Yes. Thanks to you, now I can’t rest like them or even come back to the world!” I try to hold back my emotions, I can feel my voice almost cracking.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt like that this whole time… But hey, you can finally be free right now.”
” If this is another one of your tricks I promise I w-“
“It’s not. I speak the truth. I’m here to lift your bounds from this field and say thank you for doing a great job for everything, dear guardian. Now, just close your eyes and let your soul rest here under the sky you always guide. Good night, young guardian.”
It’s all pitch black to me, but I feel the weight lift from my heart and my body becomes lighter.
“So this is the peace they always feel.”
“May you never remember this painful truth and live your life happily… This time, I’ll be your guardian, my dear… Your light will always shine the brightest I see every night.”
.
.
.
“Hah?!” I awake startled from my slumber. I took in my surroundings and find nothing strange or peculiar. I rise from my bed and feel like I’m missing something or someone so important.
“I can’t remember my dream, but I feel like I need to remember something about it. ” I try to recall my memory but still can’t remember anything. I don’t know since when but tears start streaming from my eyes.
“E-Eh? Why am I… crying?” I ask myself and try to reach for some tissues to wipe my tears, but my hand nudges a book beside the tissue box.
“How clumsy.” I try to pick up the book, but I’m too stunned to even move my hand. On its open page, I can clearly read the writing from wet ink.
Live your life to the fullest, former guardian. Don’t let the past haunt you anymore, someday we will meet again in the future. Until the other time.
“Thank you for the opportunity. Someday, I will revisit you. I may not remember how you look and what’s your name right now, but I hope you will remind me, maybe in my dream or one day when we meet again.” I close the book with a smile. I can’t change my past or predict the future, but I will face the world in front of me with pride and joy. Until someday I reunite with my last place to rest, beside her, once again.
[Photo taken by Agnes Seraphine on Friday, 23 June 2023]
[23/6/2023] Sanata Dharma – A brand-new nonprofit community named Kucing Sadhar has been formed to preserve and improve the welfare of cats inside the Sanata Dharma campus, spanning from campuses 1 through 5. This community has been developed to address the concerns of Mr. Harris Setiajid, the founder, who noticed the dilapidated condition of cats on campus and has a strong interest in animal welfare.
Kucing Sadhar’s activities are carried out by two divisions: street-feeders and well-being. The main goal of the street-feeders division is to regularly feed the cats found on campus. This crew actively engages in street feeding activities and identifies these cats by giving them collars and names. On the other hand, the well-being division prioritizes the health of ill cats by arranging for their transportation to the closest animal hospital and carrying out sterilization procedures.
Kucing Sadhar has come a long way since its founding. In order to get advice and experience for their work, the organization has already established committees and held meetings with members of the Universitas Gadjah Mada’s cat rescue community. They have also been effective in saving cats and facilitating open adoptions to place them in loving homes.
Kucing Sadhar has planned a number of initiatives to inform the public about cats and cat care in the future. Their upcoming project includes producing educational material on Instagram, covering subjects such as correct cat feeding methods and the first actions to take when coming across a sick cat. Kucing Sadhar aims to promote ethical cat ownership and reach a larger audience through social media.
The leader of the Kucing Sadhar community, Anya Keisha Natalie, is eager about continuing to produce learning materials on cat welfare. “The community’s objective is motivating people to actively take part in enhancing animal care, both on campus and in the larger community. Through our outreach programs, the Sadhar’s Cat Community hopes to have a long-lasting influence on how people view and treat animals,” she said.
The Kucing Sadhar community wants to inspire people to act on improving the welfare of animals by educating and encouraging them to share their knowledge and views. The community is dedicated to extending its educational activities outside of the campus, realizing the need to do so.
The community does, however, face certain difficulties, with member commitment being a major concern. The people that make up the Kucing Sadhar community must continue to be committed and diligent in their work because it is a non-profit organization. Anya Keisha Natalie emphasizes the value of maintaining a steadfast dedication to the cause in order to make sure that the community’s objectives and activities can be successfully sustained.
Furthermore, according to Jessica Ninda Kalistya Putri, a member and the social media editor for Kucing Sadhar, the student’s awareness of cats has increased significantly. “As for the impact, I saw there were some students feeding stray cats in the Realino Field.” In addition, Anya said, “We don’t want to affect just the members of the community, but also all students of the Sanata Dharma Campus through our Instagram account.” She then added, “Knowing the existence of the cats in Sanata Dharma Campus is fair enough for us.”
As a member of the Kucing Sadhar community, Jessica stated, “I like cats, for sure, but I have become a member of this community. Therefore, I have to be responsible with my job description to take care of the cats, especially for some challenges I face in this community.”
Lastly, Anya and Jessica hope that through this community, the awareness of the cats, especially for the stray cats can grow within the members and the students. In addition, they also hope that the well-being of the cats can be maintained and students and cats can coexist together.
The cast of Harsa 2023 (taken by Ina Galuh Susetyawati)
Sanata Dharma University – The eagerly awaited yearly event of the English Letters Department finally returned for the second self-produced musical play performance, Harsa 2023. Taking the motto “Happiness doesn’t always come around,” Harsa 2023 follows the story of the prestigious and “happy” Harsa family whose members are each facing internal conflicts in their own stages of life. The oldest daughter in the family, Dira, is the most distant member of the family and becomes the center of this year’s play performance.
Departing from the Moon at Noon 2022 review, our journalist team wants to continue capturing the progress of the play and envision its future potentials. Together with the team of Teater Seriboe Djendela (Pakde Agathon, Sean, Deska, Vero, Ida, and EB), we held a post-performance discussion to the following honest review of Harsa 2023. First, we would like to mention that these critiques should not be taken at face value, but should be filtered and considered along with the realistic limitations that the committee went through during the preparation of the play (e.g., money, time, human resources, etc.).
Let’s begin with the good.
THE GOOD
To start off, we should very much applaud the genius paradoxical and symbolic concept written by the scriptwriters of the play. The word “Harsa,” as mentioned by the masters of ceremonies, is derived from the Javanese Sanskrit word that means happiness. However, the story is filled with unhappy occurrences, such as facing gender stereotypes, sexual identity, poverty, infidelity, divorce, break ups, and the loss of a loved one.
This may represent the existential issue that the audience widely feels with names. Names hold expectations to be fulfilled even though it does not always fit who we truly are in reality. When it comes to the limit, these expectations may become a burden or even “ammunition” that hurts us in return.
Compared to last year’s play performance, an improvement can be seen through the selection of a theme that is more focused on one element: family. This results in a deeper significance of the story. The depicted ups and downs of the Harsa family are also relatable to the audience as it explores the issues experienced by each member of the family and their point of view toward each other’s issue.
For example, each child has a different response to the divorce of Ayu and Indra, the Harsa parents. Janu tries so hard to mend his parents’ relationship and hopes highly that the divorce will not happen. Naraya becomes gradually pessimistic and silent as she is overwhelmed by the whole situation. Dira chooses to burst out her anger and escape through drinking. The dynamic between them represents the similar struggle that we might feel in facing the different personalities of our own family members.
Aside from the main story, the all-out energy of the actors and actresses in the play is also worth acknowledging. Their stamina and endurance to act, sing, and dance throughout the performance shows just how much practice they had in the 9 months of preparation.
Lastly, our appreciation also goes to the property and setting team for their attention to detail. In the scene of Apollo band practice, we almost thought that the speakers, amplifiers, and guitars were all real! Only when we took a closer look did we realize that they are made of styrofoam. From this, we can also see their effort to provide a realistic experience of the play.
THE BAD
The pacing of the story and the characters’ development felt unearned and seemed lacking in effort. They were trying to tackle many issues within the span of approximately one-hour performance, and it was reasonable for them to try to include each of the characters’ issues. But in the end, all of those issues weren’t solved evenly. Everything felt very rushed. The issues could be explored more if the story only focused on one or two conflicts, for example, the reason Dira distances herself from her family or the rocky relationship between Ayu and Indra.
Another impact of the rushed storyline was Dira’s death in the end. The loss of Dira felt dull because there was no conclusion to her character growth. It felt like Dira’s characterization changed 180° in a second, from a distant, selfish, and self-centered person to suddenly a kind and caring one, and her death didn’t resolve anything. The music and the actors’ acting were good, but Dira’s death felt like it existed just for the sake of the story being sad without nuance behind it.
Even though Harsa 2023 is a musical performance, unfortunately, the musical aspect was not the strongest element. The music only served as an ice-breaking moment in between scenes. When there was a full dialogue scene, it’d be better to use instrumental music to emphasize the emotions. The tense arguing family scene, or the ones where Dira and her friends had a fight, could have a short riff of a guitar or piano being played over and over.
The choice of music genre throughout the play could also use some improvements. One minute the audience was immersed in the chilling and mystique moment of the opening, where they saw the spirit of Dira and her family frozen in the background in a grieving state, and suddenly all hell broke loose with The Greatest Showman, a thundering and grandiose song, being performed. It can also be noted that not all actors should be singing even if it’s a musical performance. It was quite unnerving when Dira’s mom held the spotlight in the Born This Way scene, where the spotlight was supposed to be about Naraya and Dira.
One common knowledge about theater is to over-dramatize everything. Aside from being expressive, the actors need to make big gestures on stage so the audience can understand their emotions based on body language. Though, the dramatization in Harsa 2023 was overdone. When the actors try hard to sell strong emotions, it can be quite hard to connect with them because it isn’t realistic.
The ending scene, where all the characters aside from Dira, were crying hard was a bit difficult to watch. The scene took a really long time and was too dramatic. Not all people grieve by crying hard. There are many ways for people to show their grief. For example, they can suddenly feel numbness in their body, their brain can’t really catch up with all that’s happening, and they just stare at everything and everyone with hollow eyes.
Continuing about the over-dramatization, it was worth noting that the choreography in Harsa 2023 was solid. However, musical theatre is not about actors acting and singing separately. Harsa 2023 felt like a concert sprinkled with acting in the way, grand choreography, and solid singing from the actors.
Musical theater is a theater that has musicality as the element. However, it is still theater in essence. The narration has to be well built between the narration and the music. Music and acting should go hand in hand in harmony. It was okay not to use choreography for musical scenes. A scene in which the Harsa family gathered around the dinner table after The Greatest Showman performance could be played differently by having the characters talking casually on a singing note.
As for the technical aspect, it was unfortunate that in some scenes, the microphones were not working properly, though kudos to the actors who still continued to wonderfully sing and act!
Apart from the microphone problem, a few lights were also being turned on out of nowhere, and the sudden brightness from those lights was not pleasant. Nevertheless, the lighting work in Harsa 2023 looked absolutely glamorous overall.
In the end, all appreciation and praise should be given to the entire Harsa 2023 team. This year’s performance showed a huge improvement from the previous one. The details in the properties were absolutely brilliant. The make up, hair, and costume were good, and the lighting made the performance look even more grand. All in all, the talent, passion, and dedication of the entire Harsa 2023 team will be acknowledged forever.
The bar for Disney’s live-action remakes is at the bottom of the ocean. It’s no surprise that people doubt any of the newest launches of Disney’s live-action remakes. One of them is a live-action with the same title, based on the beloved 1989 animation The Little Mermaid, which is also derived from a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.
Rob Marshall, well-known for directing both Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and the Broadway musical Chicago (2002), took on the director role for The Little Mermaid live-action. At the same time, writing credits went to David Magee, the scriptwriter for the live-action, as well as the scriptwriters for the previous animated version: Ron Clements and John Musker. The film was joined by an all-star cast, including Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, Daveed Digs, Noma Dumezweni, and Jacob Tremblay. A first-timer as a leading actress in big-budget film production, Halle Bailey has been chosen to portray Ariel, the compassionate and curious leading mermaid (read: character). Jonah Hauer-King, another underrated and first-timer actor in big-budget film production, was cast as the dashing and adventurous Prince Eric.
The Little Mermaid live-action follows Ariel (Halle Bailey), a curious, free-spirited, good-natured young mermaid who is fascinated by the human world despite never seeing it. One day, she misses the Coral Moon meeting, where she and her sisters gather with their father, the king of all merfolk in Atlantica, Triton (Javier Bardem), as a result of collecting human objects beforehand alongside her best friends, Flounder (Jacob Tremblay) and Scuttle (Awkwafina). Her curiosity about the world above leads to constant arguments with her father. Triton forbade any merfolk to go above the surface after the death of his beloved wife. That does not stop Ariel from getting near a ship, which happens to be Prince Eric’s (Jonah Hauer-King) ship, and rescuing him from the shipwreck. After that, Eric becomes another reason for her to want to live above in the human world. It all goes downhill when Triton hears about the news and argues outrageously with Ariel, which drives her away to the sea-witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy). After making an unbreakable deal with Ursula by trading her voice, Ariel is now a human with a goal to win the prince’s heart in three days, or else she will turn back into a mermaid.
Disney’s live-action films are known to be only a cash grab without any new creativity or nuance. Although live-action films such as The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast are box-office hits, critics and moviegoers alike are giving unfavorable reviews about them. Meanwhile, The Little Mermaid hit the box office with a 68% Tomatometer and 94% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with 7.2/10 on IMDb. Even though the casting choices had created a conflict among the fans early on, Halle Bailey proved them wrong when The Little Mermaid finally launched on May 26th. Halle Bailey was mesmerizing as she embodied the spirit of Ariel and her melodious, captivating voice. Bailey expressed the idea that her version of Ariel is more nuanced than the animated version. “I’m really excited for my version of the film because we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy,” she says. “It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life, and what she wants.”
A live-action remake usually has a few changes from the original material. This time, the live-action fleshes out Eric’s backstory. He’s not just the prince charming and love interest of Ariel anymore. The film depicts Eric as an adopted child of Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni), who loves to sail across the ocean and collects sea artifacts, a perfect contrast to Ariel, who loves the human world and collects human objects. Jonah Hauer-King brings out the adventurous yet gentle side of Eric.
Nevertheless, it is unfortunate when a chosen character has more screen time in the remake while another character has less, such as Flounder. It is odd to watch Ariel without Flounder by her side most of the time. The idea of Ursula being an estranged sister of Triton in the early production of the animated version has been brought back in the live-action. Unfortunately, that idea is not delivered strong enough to impress me. Although the songs and singing sequences still have the same tone as the animated one, some of the live-action performance still suffers from the dullness of CGI, like Under the Sea and Poor Unfortunate Souls.
I remember feeling skeptical about the idea of The Little Mermaid being a live-action. The Little Mermaid animated version had been a constant companion throughout my childhood. If you follow the track records of Disney’s live-action, most of them lack the magical and alluring story that most people associate with Disney animation. After watching The Little Mermaid, I thought the film was not as terrible as its predecessors. Indeed, it can look dull and unappealing sometimes with the amount of CGI. Some performance changes, like Melissa McCarthy’s Poor Unfortunate Souls performance, can be pretty underwhelming compared to Pat Carrol’s original rendition. Most of the time, I enjoyed watching The Little Mermaid at the theater. I liked that the new version of Fireworks and Fathom’s Below became one performance. I squealed when Ariel answered Eric’s question about her name in her own way without the help of Sebastian, making their chemistry further explored. I love how the film starts with Hans Christian Andersen’s quote, “But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more”, and we never see Ariel shed tears once until the end of the movie, where she cries happy tears for finally becoming a real human and live happily ever after with Eric.
Compared to other live-action remakes I’ve watched, The Little Mermaid doesn’t damage the memory of the original that much. Because at the end of the day, Disney live-actions are cash grabs relying on people’s nostalgia and familiarity rather than further exploring new possibilities and delivering compelling visual storytelling.
