After the Curfew (Lewat Djam Malam)

AFTER THE CURFEW

Main cast

Cinematography: MAX TERA Art Direction: ABDUL CHALID

Sound Direction: B. SALTZMANN Editor: SUMARDJONO

Original Story and Screenplay

Original Music

Produced by

Directed by

The curfew in Bandung from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m.

will remain in force until January 8, 1950, or until further notice.

You, stop!

Stop!

Iskandar.

These ex-freedom fighters, always doing things differently.

Luckily the army only shouted a warning last night.

If they had shot Iskandar, then what would we have done?

Perhaps he didn't know about the curfew.

Curfew or not,

if we are ordered to stop, we must stop.

But who wants to be arrested, Father?

And if your fiancé gets shot, who will mourn for him?

Iskandar must get a job as quickly as possible.

Just send him back to school.

Let him figure things out for himself.

Someone like him shouldn't be without work.

Idleness could destroy him. Too many temptations.

Shouldn't you ask him about this?

Iskandar?

Iskandar?

Iskandar? It's almost noon.

Is he awake?

Iskandar!

Iskandar?

Iskandar.

What's wrong?

I picked one of your flowers.

In the mountains, there are many flowers like this.

What did you do there besides picking flowers?

Fooled around.

Chased the villagers' chickens.

I had some very good friends: Gafar,

Puja and Gunawan, our commander.

Sir, here's your chicken.

Its feathers are really beautiful.

This one isn't domesticated.

It's always trying to run away.

It's nice and plump though. Plenty of fat on her.

You can have her if you like.

- Oh... - Go ahead, accept it.

I have many more chickens.

Thank you, sir. Excuse us.

Why did you give Si Kumang away?

What's the problem?

Those young people fighting are our children too.

Do you know what I dreamt of becoming?

I wanted to become a chicken farmer.

And if possible, I'd raise goats and cows as well.

Why don't you stay in the army?

I'm tired of all that.

I want a little peace. I've done more than enough.

It's peaceful enough for you here, isn't it?

Indeed.

I heard that you hardly slept last night.

My mind is always restless.

Why?

During the war I usually slept on the ground.

At best, maybe a wooden bench.

Now suddenly, I sleep in a clean white bed...

and my body feels strange.

As though you'd never slept in a proper bed before.

In the future, I will take care of you.

You haven't changed.

I thought you'd get married after I left.

It's nearly five years ago...

and you were still very young back then.

Do you know what your father wanted?

For me to become an engineer, a person of status,

so that I wouldn't get involved in politics.

But I didn't pay any attention to him.

It might have been better if I had followed his advice.

But it was the call of duty.

Surely you gained some worthwhile experience on the battlefield.

Experience.

From the mountains this city looked very beautiful.

I thought it would be easy to return to normal life.

Why is it so difficult now?

You wouldn't have recognized me back then,

driven crazy by hatred for an enemy that we rarely saw.

Maybe everyone felt the same.

As if someone was pushing you onwards,

without giving you the time to think or to look around.

You simply had to struggle, to fight, to kill!

What's wrong?

Iskandar?

Then it was all over...

before we even knew what had happened.

That's revolution.

Do you still love me?

Didn't I come straight here to you?

This is the only place for me.

Iskandar!

Let's have breakfast.

I've promised to take you to the governor's office today.

A good friend of mine has an important position there.

He will give you a job.

Why don't you become a student again?

Like you, forever a student.

Iskandar once wanted to be an engineer, Dad.

So did you.

And what's going to happen to you, chasing women every day?

This will be a good job for Iskandar.

Why should you decide whether Iskandar works or not?

Your father's suggestion is a good one.

I agree with him.

Good. You don't want to let Norma become an old maid.

We'll leave in a few minutes.

Are you coming with me, Adlin? Or do you have class today?

Whatever you like. Where are you going?

Shopping on Jalan Braga.

We're throwing a party for Iskandar tonight.

Sure.

Why accept just any job?

You said you wanted to raise cattle.

Forget about that. That was just a dream.

You've already waited for me long enough.

Iskandar.

This is the man.

- Thank you. - Really, it's nothing.

Just doing my duty.

We have to help the young people who come back from the war.

If we don't, they could easily go astray.

Iskandar is your future son-in-law, isn't he?

Yes, that's right.

- He... - Very well then.

Until we meet again.

So you've just returned from the front line?

Yes.

My son was killed during the struggle.

Where, sir?

In Semarang.

At the beginning of the revolution.

But...

enough about that.

Independence could not have been won without sacrifice.

I heard you were a lieutenant in the war.

Yes.

And before that, you were a student at Bandung Technical Institute?

Yes.

Right then. Follow me.

I'll place you in Public Works.

This is Iskandar.

He recently returned from the war.

He's a former lieutenant and student.

I want him to work here.

But which desk should he use?

Get him to move elsewhere.

He can move over beside that man.

Very well.

- May your work go well. - Thank you.

Please, sit over there beside Nurdin.

Iskandar, please sit down.

What do they think I am? I'm always being shifted.

From place to place, like a bottle of beer.

From the cupboard to the table, from the table to the floor,

perhaps next to the toilet.

He's an ex-freedom fighter.

He thinks he's the son of a king and can do as he pleases.

Aren't we freedom fighters too?

See if you can figure this out.

Let me see your progress.

How's it going?

I don't understand it.

What sort of work do you understand?

I don't know.

You don't know!

I was told you were a lieutenant and a student.

Some student! More of a peasant than a student!

You may be an ex-freedom fighter and the boss's future son-in-law.

You might even be the devil, but work like that and I'll fire you!

What's going on?

He was just given a job and he's hitting people!

- Hi, Ida! - Hello.

What have you been up to?

Same as ever, going here and there.

Flirting at this hour.

You should talk.

You've only been apart from Iskandar for a few minutes,

and you're panicking.

- When was I panicking? - Earlier this morning.

Has Iskandar returned?

Yes, sis, he arrived last night.

I've never met him.

I'll introduce you to him later, sis.

Half a kilo of these.

So the man you yearned for has finally arrived.

What does he look like?

Is he tall, slim, handsome and brave?

And half a kilo of these too.

Oh, he's nothing extraordinary.

Adlin is far more dashing.