Notes on a Tropical Archive

An old tale about a woman who owned beautiful birds that were well known for their birdsong. One day they refuse to sing. In the search of the reasons for their silence, an encounter with a monkey who hides in the jungle in order not to lose his humanity also plays a role. In Valérie Pelet’s film, quotes from traditional fables and popular Indonesian films meet images of architecture and landscapes that are steeped in their imperial past. Who are the people that we watch at the sea, at markets and festivals or while observing a solar eclipse? Valérie Pelet’s essay film always remains subtle, and the questions she raises seem above all to be looking for the right addressees: What role does the regime play? Be it that of the western colonizers or the Suharto dictatorship, and how is history processed? Who was the monkey hiding from in the jungle?