Denok & Gareng

The films in this extended focus on Indonesian documentary were produced in a variety of styles, formats, and epochs by independent filmmakers living and working in Indonesia. As such, the quality of some of the streamable film files may vary. In all cases, we have strived to present them in the best copies available at the time of the focus.

Denok and Gareng met when they were both living on the streets of the Indonesian city of Jogjakarta. Denok was 14 when she ran away from home and got pregnant with her daughter. She met Gareng in 2005. They got married and moved in with Gareng's parents in a small village on the outskirts of Jogjakarta. Denok & Gareng observes the daily lives of the couple and their family. Gareng's father left many years ago, leaving a mountain of debt behind him. It means that Denok and Gareng, his brother Soesan and his mother have to take care of two younger brothers and Denok's little daughter Frida. Gareng breeds pigs that he feeds with garbage he collects in the city. He uses the money he earns to pay for schooling for the little ones. But Frida isn't allowed to mention at school that her dad breeds pigs, because according to Islam they are unclean animals. Then Soesan ends up in the hospital after a motorcycle accident, and the debts start to pile up even higher. Life is tough for these people - perhaps even hopeless - but we still see a family that laughs a lot, a family whose hope and love helps them keep their heads above water.