Institute History
Description
James (Brian Imanuel), an aspiring Indonesian rapper, is at a resort in Hawai‘i to cut his debut album for a major U.S. record label. Accompanying him is his father and former manager (Yayu A.W. Unru), who is still mourning the death of James’ brother and unwilling to surrender control of his career. While James sinks deeper in debt to the label, his father insists on acting as a de facto personal assistant. Caught between the music industry’s commercial demands and a power struggle with his suffocating stage dad, James is forced to find his voice.
Writer-director Justin Chon (Gook, 2017 NEXT Audience Award winner and Ms. Purple, 2019) returns to Sundance with this introspective family drama set against the infernal neon backdrop of the showbiz machine. Jamojaya juxtaposes anxious handheld shots that follow James through cramped corridors and busy backstage areas with quiet, lyrical passages depicting the growing gulf between father and son. In his feature film debut, acclaimed rapper Imanuel brings sensitivity to the would-be star, while Unru delivers a heart-wrenching performance as his doting but demanding father.