Opera Jawa

In this innovative and long-in-development cross-cultural musical from director Garin Nugroho, a contented pair of former Ramayana dancers who have since forsaken their art in favor of selling earthenware finds their real-life relationship falling toward the same dark fate as their fictional counterparts. A married couple who live a simple life in a remote village, Siti (Artika Sari Devi) and Setio (Martinus Miroto) once made a living by reenacting the mythical tale of Sita and Prince Rama. As the story goes, Sita and Rama lived a life of marital bliss until the nefarious King Ravana kidnapped Sita and spirited her away to the land of Lanka in hopes of realizing his darkest fantasies. Now, as if the tragic tale has purposefully sought to curse those who would attempt to dramatize it, Siti and Setio find their own relationship plagued by the arrival the powerful and domineering Ludiro (Eko Supriyanto), a ruthless tyrant who will stop at nothing to claim Siti as his own.