Laskar Pelangi

I am a huge educational movie fan-big time!! I found out about this movie from a colleague, and he even gave me the soft copy to watch. Somehow, I could not watched it and lost the soft copy. I found one seller on FB that sold the DVD, but till today no feedback. So last week when I saw the promo clips that it is going to be played in Astro for Maulidur Rasul, I was ecstatic :D I started telling people and asking them to watch. I really trusted this guy's word, so much so I was becoming the walking advert for the movie. I even called all my sis short before 9pm last night to remind them again.

Not sure whether it is made of true story, but I love it anyway. Its about a Sekolah Agama and its 10 students. The school is the oldest in Belitong, Sumatera which at that time was on the verge of being torn down due to the fact people no longer send their kids to these kind of school. The teachers (only 2 of them) were given the condition, they must have at least 10 students at the beginning of the year, else, school will be closed.

Come registration day, the first student that came is Lintang, a fisherman's son. The father could have easily asked Lintang to go out to the sea with him but he sent Lintang to school instead. Lintang had such a journey going to school, he have to cycle, not sure how far, and he would have to pass by an area where there is crocodile living, he would have to wait for the crocodile to pass. On rainy days, he would stop under some trees for shade and continue the journey when it permits, and yet he is always the first one that reached the school. The only time that he was late when the crocodile lingers on the road longer than it should have, then Lintang would have to wait longer too. 

The rest of the classmates, they have their own story as well. Basically the movie is about providing education, irregardless of their social status, where learning is not only gauge by numbers and marks on test paper, but what the children learnt in actual fact. Their learning is so open, one day they were late for class because they were carried away while watching rainbow. Cikgu Muslimah went and look for them and upon finding them, she called out, "Laskar pelangi......ayuh, masuk kelas...!!!" So that's how the troops were named. 

However not all of them had a happy ending. Lintang the genius of the class have to take care of his family after the father passed away. He did not have a chance to make it out of Belitong for a better life. Ikal, his sidekick who was telling this story in flashback were among that still able to chase his dream. The story of these kids are funny, hilarious and also moving at the same time. I love it to the core :) It teaches us the concept of 'bersyukur', we may thought we had a tough life, but somehow in some parts of the world, kids have to fight for their right to education.

A life motto worth to keep comes from Cikgu Harfan : Hiduplah untuk memberi sebanyak-banyaknya, bukan menerima sebanyak-banyaknya...

Last but not least, the movie soundtrack, by Nidji - Laskar Pelangi

Mimpi adalah kunci
Untuk kita menakhlukkan dunia
Berlarilah tanpa lelah
Sampai engkau meraihnya

Laskar pelangi
Tak kan terikat waktu
Bebaskan mimpimu di angkasa
Warnai bintang di jiwa


Menarilah dan terus tertawa
Walau dunia tak seindah surga
Bersyukurlah pada Yang Kuasa
Cinta kita di dunia
Selamanya…


Cinta kepada hidup
Memberikan senyuman abadi
Walau hidup kadang tak adil
Tapi cinta lengkapi kita


Laskar pelangi
Tak kan terikat waktu
Jangan berhenti mewarnai
Jutaan mimpi di bumi

Menarilah dan terus tertawa
Walau dunia tak seindah surga
Bersyukurlah pada Yang Kuasa
Cinta kita di dunia


Menarilah dan terus tertawa
Walau dunia tak seindah surga
Bersyukurlah pada Yang Kuasa
Cinta kita di dunia
Selamanya
Selamanya