In the Absence of the Sun

"There's No Place for Us Here."

2014 1h 34m ID

👍

7.3

SOLID

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 10★7.3IMDB · 279

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A tender, melancholic night is experienced through the eyes of three women as they struggle to find themselves in this ever-changing jungle of Jakarta.

“There's No Place for Us Here.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Adinia Wirasti
Anggia
Ina Panggabean
Indri
Dayu Wijanto
Ci Surya
Marissa Anita
Naomi
Dira Sugandi
Sofia
Trisa Triandesa
Faisal
Aming
Lone Star Waiter
Lina Marpaung
Anggia's Aunt

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lucky Kuswandi
Writers: Lucky Kuswandi, Ucu Agustin
Languages: English, Indonesian
Countries: Indonesia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Indonesian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lucky Kuswandi, shot by Budi Sasono. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ivan Gojaya. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lucky Kuswandi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Adinia Wirasti and Ina Panggabean and Dayu Wijanto carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "There's No Place for Us Here.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lucky Kuswandi directs. Budi Sasono behind the camera. Ivan Gojaya scores. Lucky Kuswandi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Indonesia. Dialogue in English, Indonesian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 12 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Indonesian.
4Directed by Lucky Kuswandi, shot by Budi Sasono. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ivan Gojaya. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Lucky Kuswandi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Adinia Wirasti and Ina Panggabean and Dayu Wijanto carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "There's No Place for Us Here.".
9IMDB entry: tt3793526 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 10 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "melancholy", "one night", "modernisation", "intimacy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Budi Sasono
Original score: Ivan Gojaya
Editing: Lucky Kuswandi
Production design: Christyna Theosa
Makeup / hair: Stella Gracia
Sound: Edo Sitanggang
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Budget: $125,000
Original language: ID
IMDB: In the Absence of the Sun (2014)
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 279 votes
MPAA: TV-MA

Awards

1 win & 10 nominations

Also by

Lucky Kuswandi

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Call Me Dunham2026-02-15
★ 9/10
A portrait of 2010s Jakarta — chaotic, but beautiful. The film captures the city at night with visuals that feel both stunning and restless, while hinting at the darker secrets hidden beneath the surface. We see it all through the perspectives of three main female characters, whose intertwined problems collide over the course of one melancholic night that ends up changing their lives. I’m honestly still speechless that an Indonesian film can pull off a tone like this. Lucky Kuswandi is freaking great. I started watching it planning to just check out a bit before going to sleep, but I got more and more hooked as it went on — and yeah, I ended up watching the whole thing.

Production companies