In the Absence of the Sun

Kuswandi's comments may be evident and pointy, but he presents them in a very subtle manner, through irony and humor, in a style that makes the film quite entertaining.

In the Absence of the Sun is sweet, insightful and tender filmmaking with great lead performances.

[In the Absence of The Sun] captivates - with the fluidity in which it's shot, the realistic language used and the different subtexts in this comic drama.

A portrait of 2010s Jakarta — chaotic, but beautiful. The film captures the city at night with visuals that feel both stunning and restless, while hinting at the darker secrets hidden beneath the surface. We see it all through the perspectives of three main female characters, whose intertwined problems collide over the course of one melancholic night that ends up changing their lives. I’m honestly still speechless that an Indonesian film can pull off a tone like this. Lucky Kuswandi is freaking great. I started watching it planning to just check out a bit before going to sleep, but I got more and more hooked as it went on — and yeah, I ended up watching the whole thing.