My Grandmother Is A Bird

Overview

In the 1960s, the Indonesian government forced ethnically-Chinese people to choose between Indonesian or Chinese citizenship. If they chose Indonesian, they were obliged to change their Chinese name into an Indonesian name. Still a taboo subject in Indonesia, this magical-realist documentary follows 87-year-old Indriati, who is haunted by her past name in the form of a silver bird that follows her everywhere she goes. As Indriati goes about her quiet routine, a bird sits on a windowsill, spying on her. Its silver skin is almost mythical in appearance.