On Your Lap

Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian makes his directorial debut with a finely tuned black drama, suffused with light, about a young pregnant woman at a dubious coastal coffee bar.

Sartika is searching for a better life for herself and her unborn child. In a shabby coastal town, she finds work serving coffee—preferably while sitting on the laps of the male patrons. The years go by. One day, a truck driver steps inside, someone who sees her as more than a commodity, and the dream of a secure family life suddenly seems as though it might become reality? Actor and singer Rahadian moves in fascinating locations, delivering an astonishingly well-acted story—one that, in the midst of darkness, miraculously manages to feel brightly uplifting—about dignity and holding on to hope even in the most difficult moments.

• Camilla Larsson