Dukkha: Behind the Wetperson

Assistant director (AD), Viski Khairafi, better known as Iraf, joined this project when he stumbled upon the first Pre-Production Meeting or PPM one night in campus. "I hopped on to Dukkha because when I was there at the first PPM I could just tell that I vibed with everyone in that room and that I was really into the idea and the form of storytelling that was to be done," says Iraf. As a seasoned AD, one of Iraf's many jobs included being a stand-in for nearly every shot, making sure everything was running well, and communicating with each member of the crew on set. He says, "I do really love the sense of camaraderie that we had, especially that there was only a few of us on set and everyone was into the film 100%". The crew for Dukkha was in fact one of the most memorable things throughout this production for him. 

PPMs were held both online and offline throughout the month of December 2023 and January 2024. The location of the set, an abandoned house in a housing area in Depok, was decided after a week and a half of scouting. "Finding a location that fit the story and vision that Kenneth wanted, as well as working with it so that it could transform into what we had in mind, was definitely my favourite part of production," says Noreen. And he really meant it, as he was even found helping the art crew modify a door that was to be used in some scenes. The house that became the set was also coincidentally near art crew, Ryan Nurcipto's house, which was a mere 3 minutes away by foot. This made his house a basecamp for the entire cast and crew throughout Recces (on-site checks, preps, and tests before filming), as well as during filming. Apart from that, it also gave the crew their emergency transport, Ryan's motorbike, on which Noreen is often found zooming around with props and needed items during the shoot. 

Discussions were done constantly, especially with the heads of each department regarding how the story was developing. At one point during the discussion of inspiration and shots in Ryan's living room, a famous scene from the film The Lighthouse (2019) was brought up and gave the film its next nickname, The Light(space)House. 

Throughout pre-production, each department busied themselves with making the story come alive: The producer was making sure everything would be provided; the cam-light crew was experimenting with light and angles; the art crew was testing fabrics and painting walls; sound designer, Indira Raissa, was testing samples; and Kenneth was busy writing and re-writing. The writing process for Dukkha was the most difficult he had experienced at the time as it was a challenge for him to truly narrow down the essence of the film and translate it into sounds and earthly elements.

"Constructing a narrative that was not designed by plot but by emotion while still remaining consistent and cohesive was very hard. I want the audience to be able to feel the film, and I hope some people do." 

-Kenneth Lisungan, writer and director of Dukkha-

Shooting was done on a sunny Tuesday, the 16th of January 2024. The crew call was at 8 in the morning at which time the crew could be found strolling about Ryan's house eating chicken porridge and preparing themselves. With a limited amount of people, some had to hold multiple jobs, such as art crew, Itqon Aksary, who doubled as clapper throughout shoot. Inserts were the first thing to be taken when the camera started rolling just a little after 9 AM. As a day-for-night (the shoot was done throughout daytime but we needed it to look like nighttime) was needed for this shoot, a sort of tent from black fabric was put over all doors and windows by gaffer, Rafi Sulaiman, and set lighting technician, Fajar Ramdhany. Apart from achieving the look needed, this made going inside the set truly feel like traveling to another dimension as a tunnel of wall and fabric had to be walked through. The cast and crew would go from a bright, hot, plant-filled Depok setting to the dim, unearthly, though still hot, setting of Dukkha where camera assistant, Fikri Maruanaya, is the first person to see, sat by the door with the camera and monitor, as well as the fan, a much needed addition for air circulation. Scenes with the character were then taken, just after lunch and all through the night. Thankfully for everyone the shoot had almost no overtime and had gone smoothly.

Dukkha had a grand total of one character. It wasn't an easy role either as in order to really bring the emotion and feel of the non-dialogued film across, someone with great depth and understanding for the script was needed. Luckily, actor, Hakiki Kamil, was up for the job. "I think meeting with Kenneth and creating this film was fate," says Hakiki, "The pain, unhappiness, and other things portrayed in the film really represented how I felt about my father's death just one month prior". Due to this after just several readings with Kenneth, Hakiki gave an outstanding and impactful performance. 

The nickname "Wetperson", one of the film's most iconic nicknames, also came about because the art team had to continuously douse him in water during and between takes. "Wet the person!" became a much used phrase from the crew each time a shot was to be taken. To this day many of the crew still refer to the film as Wetperson.