Known for Acting
Siti Zahrana’s academical success makes her parents worried. Zahrana hasn’t married by her early thirties. There have been many men who solicited her, but she has refused them all politely. Zahrana’s conflicting issues spring up: to follow her parents’ wish or to pursue her own dreams. Actually she has relented once. She turns down a teaching post at Gadjah Mada University. The reason, her parents who live in Semarang don’t want her to be away. So Zahrana teaches at a Semarang university and stays with them. Then she also passes up a doctoral scholarship opportunity from China.
The film tells the story of Lola and Cindy. Lola is a lonely child who, along with her gang members, always gathers and walks on the streets of Blok M, where the youths are. Meanwhile Cindy is forced to become a prostitute to meet the needs of her family. Lola awares of Cindy situation and befriends her.
Sasongko impregnates Corry, a university student who works in his office, and refuses to take responsibility. Corry is expelled from the house Sasongko had given her by his wife Mrs. Sasongko. Then, 18 years later, Sonny, Corry’s son, who has been taught to hate his father although he was never told his name, starts looking for him. In the meantime, Prasetyo, a respected businessman, who has a harmonious family, is in the midst of constructing a large building for his wife. Before the construction can be completed, cement prices skyrocket due to a shortage of supplies, and Prasetyo needs more money than expected to keep the work going. He seeks the assistance of Nur to find funds. Nur succeeds in getting a loan from Sasongko, who now heads a powerful conglomerate.
Like the film’s title, Parody of the Capital resembles a sketch of the community. Oom Pasikom, a cab driver, is stingy because of his measly income. Conversely, his wife moves within the high social circle and is a spendthrift due to her business as jewelry broker. Through Oom Pasikom’s glasses, small stories of the city are told - the ladies’ social gathering, lonely wives, the cleaning of the city and how it affects the small businesses, a student who is writing her thesis and so on.
As long as one is earnest and qualified, every citizen could become a fighter pilot. So Ronaldi comes from a well-off family while Prasojo is poor yet both are accepted as Air Force Academy cadets. Apart from the information about the AAU (Akademi Angkatan Udara or Indonesian Air Force Academy) and piloting; a love story between Ronaldi and Laras, daughter of a gudeg (sweet jack fruit stew) seller, is also featured.
Because of his wife’s encouragement, Prabowo enters a dangerous business and is eventually imprisoned. While waiting for his trial, his business partner, Wahyuni the divorcee, whom he also loves, bails him out. Their children Ani and Reni, who have to downgrade from their mansion to a flat, suffer from the shock of change. They resort to drugs and prostitution to escape reality. While the mother is sick, Wahyuni becomes intimate with Prabowo. Once found out, they slowly try to solve each problem. Wahyuni is willing to reconcile the entire family. So Rini attempts to become a photographer, by following her boyfriend, a tour guide in Bali. There is another character, a journalist, who comes in and out of the film, and functions as a commentator and witness of their lives. The dialogue veers on philosophical messages as director, Slamet Rahardjo, tries to represent both the lower and upper classes, mixing his narrative style with realism.
Liar Rangga has an unhappy life with his wife Sara, a nymphomaniac. In his loneliness, Rangga meets Rani, a call girl and finds happiness with her. They need each other, instantly fall in love and make a vow to marry in the near future. But fate is not on their side when Rangga dies in a plane crash. Most of his wealth is bequeathed to the child in Rani’s womb. Sara protests, goes to get help from a black magician and ends up making a deal with the devil; promising to be his disciple.
Non has been depressed for some time, as she is not accepted by the family of her husband, Hans Tobing, though they already have three children. Just when Non is finally being accepted in her husband’s family, her happiness is threatened by ovarian cancer. It traumatises the family. Hans has to sacrifice everything that he can to save his wife’s life. Fortunately, Non gets her spirit back when she realises that her children still need her. That spirit is the most important element in the process of her recovery.
Sudarko, a tenacious and stubborn widower, finally manages to become a successful businessman although he suffers from liver disease. His son, Nagara, also has this difficult nature. He refuses to become a businessman and opts to become an artist. Without his father’s support, he is able to study in Paris. On the other hand, Sudarko’s daughter, Andina, is a gentle person. She cannot resist her father’s wish for an arranged marriage with Dr. Budi, the son of Sudarman, his best friend and a specialist who had treated Sudarko in the war era. Apparently, Budi is selfish and a womanizer.
Gazali who lives in Kinabalu, Sabah, has an only child, Rozy Syahzam, who has just finished medical school. His wife had passed away when she gave birth to Rozy. Gazali has no intention to remarry although Rozy has urged him to. He only wants to get married after Rozy finishes medical school in Indonesia. So Rozy leaves his hometown and his girlfriend Nirwana. Soon Rozy succeeds in becoming a surgeon while Nirwana is engaged to his father for financial reasons. After hearing this, Rozy is upset and refuses to return home. He keeps himself busy by helping people in the remote area. Finally he receives a wedding invitation and has no choice but to attend. On his way home, his car crashes into a tree. With blood covering his body, Rory arrives just in time when his father is about to utter the marriage vow. Gazali feels guilty when he finds out that his future bride is his son’s girlfriend. He cancels the wedding and is willing to let Rozy marry Nirwana.
