Christine Hakim: Grand dame of Indonesian cinema on her role in ‘The Last of Us’

Less is more. That’s certainly what Indonesian actress, producer and filmmaker Christine Hakim astutely demonstrated in her disquieting turn as Dr. Ibu Ratna, the Mycology professor from Indonesia who calmly but emphatically proposes bombing Jakarta to delay the spread of zombie-spawning fungal infection in HBO Go’s post-apocalyptic drama, “The Last of Us.”

In the first two episodes of the critically acclaimed nine-part series, viewers quickly learn that there are specific types of fungi, like Cordyceps, that “seek not to kill, but to control” its host for survival.

Twenty years after the destruction of modern civilization following the global outbreak in 2003, we find Joel (Pedro Pascal) attempting to smuggle 14-year-old Cordyceps-immune Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of a quarantine zone and take her to a medical facility that could develop a vaccine against the clicker pandemic. To say the least, Ellie could be humanity’s last hope against total annihilation.

The series, which releases new episodes every Monday at 10 a.m. on HBO and HBO Go (and will drop Episode 5 tomorrow), benefits not only from a plausible—and medically viable—concept, but also from the crackerjack performances of its terrific cast members, among them Christine Hakim.

Despite her limited screen time (in Episode 2), Christine aptly demonstrates it isn’t the length or frequency of a character’s speaking lines that matters, but the impact it creates. Devoid of hysterical excesses common in the horror/suspense-thriller genre, the 66-year-old actress easily breaks the mold by refusing to let her cameo appearance slip through the cracks.

Christine’s feat should come as no surprise to viewers who are familiar with her fabulous filmography. Aside from her activism, the actress has built an enduring career boosted further by dramatic roles in 2001’s “Pasir Berbisik” and 2017’s “Kartini,” as well as 2019’s “Impetigore,” her first horror film.

Her appearance in “The Last of Us” couldn’t have come at a better time because, as Christine pointed out to us during our memorable chat, she is celebrating her 50th anniversary in the industry this year.

And that’s just the tip of the legendary actress’ thespic iceberg. After all, Christine is no “grand dame of Indonesian cinema” for nothing.

When we reminded her of the lifetime achievement award she got from Cinemanila in 2003, she told us that she was as fond of that honor as she was “of my good friend, Marilou Diaz-Abaya.”

In spite of all the acclaim she’s received in her celebrated career so far, the overachieving actress asserted that she wasn’t one to rest on her laurels. In fact, the idea of the show ushering in more opportunities for her as an actress sends thrills down her spine.

Aware of the variety of productions she has acted in, we asked Christine if she found horror more satisfying to do than dramas. She said, “You know, after appearing in ‘Impetigore’ and ‘The Last of Us,’ I no longer care about which genre to do. What’s more important is the message a film or TV series imparts to its viewers.”

At face value, the production is seen as a horror show about a world overrun by zombies, but Christine is thrilled to see the production beyond its crowd-pleasing appeal.

“I didn’t get to read the whole script, I was only given the parts that included my character,” Christine disclosed. “But when I saw the first episode, I was so excited to realize that it was more than just another horror story: It’s a metaphor that is driven by a strong message. That’s why I now have more energy and passion to talk about it.

“I hope a lot more people can watch this. I also hope that it would make viewers think about the more important things in life, particularly after what we all went through during the pandemic. It’s about the things in society—the social ‘viruses’ around us—that we allow to damage the way we think, how they affect our logic, and turn us into human beings with the attitude of a zombie. That realization—about something that changes the way people think and act—makes the series even scarier and more relevant!”

To prove a point about how “illness” could alter a person—from affect to attitude—the actress recalled how she got injured during the shoot.

“In one of my scenes, I peeled off the skin of my foot while I was walking,” she said. “There was bleeding, but I couldn’t put anything on it because they needed to take a closeup shot of it with my shoes on. But I had to be professional about it. I didn’t want to them to think that I was a spoiled brat or a whiny grandma (laughs).

“So, I put my mind to it and concentrated—and I didn’t feel any pain at all! After the director shouted cut, that’s when I felt the pain and threw the shoe away! That is what I want to point out about the power of the human brain. It’s very strong… it can control a person’s body or the way he or she feels!”

Our Q&A with Christine:

In what way are you similar to the mycology expert you play in the show? How did you relate to her?

We have nothing in common. She’s a scientist and I’m an artist, an actress and a filmmaker—we’re like sun and moon. But of course we had to have a meeting point. To understand my character, I had to tap into my feelings during the pandemic, because we all felt the same way.

We were scared and wondered if we would survive it or not, right? Can you imagine how tragic it would have been if we didn’t find a vaccine for COVID-19? We realized it could infect anyone, regardless of who you are.

And also, it’s part of my job to transform into my character. I had to convey the right feeling and atmosphere. So, even Craig [Mazin, who cocreated the show with Neil Druckmann] didn’t expect me to deliver my line “Bomb [Jakarta]” (intoning a low, almost emotionless voice) the way I did. I didn’t scream “Bomb!!!”—because she’s a scientist. She has a moral responsibility [to stop the spread of the disease].

As a child, you wanted to pursue a career in psychology, but you ended up becoming an actress—which allows you to play all kinds of characters, even a psychologist. What is it about acting and the arts that can help call attention to your advocacies as artist and activist?

Art can make a big impact on people. When I was a teenager, my dream was to become either a psychologist or an architect. Film wasn’t my first love. After my first movie (Teguh Karya’s Cinta Pertama” in 1973) came out, I said, “No, no, no. This is not the world that I want.” I was only 16 years old then.

So, I went to the producer’s office to turn down his offer, but he started introducing me as “my actress” to everybody… he didn’t give me a chance to say no (laughs)!

Then, I won best actress at the Indonesian Film Festival for that first film. By then, I could no longer run away from the film industry. Two years later, I started falling in love with cinema because of the treasure trove of knowledge I realized I could learn from it—technology, social science, political science, psychology, economics, etc.

I realized how stupid I would be if I didn’t take advantage of the benefits I could get from it. Since then, I committed myself to films—and it became my university. So this year, I’ll be celebrating my 50 years in the industry! You know, I am already a grandmother (laughs).

Do you still have items left unticked on your bucket list?

My life is like a water flow—I just follow where it leads me. Based on experience, I realized I shouldn’t overthink things too much because, if I did, things will never happen. If they tell me to turn right, I’ll turn right. And if they say I should turn left, that’s what I’ll do. I believe that God will guide me, so I just have to read and follow the signs.

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