I caught this whilst on vacation and was pleasantly surprised.
Dennis (Ariyo Wahab) is the heir to a kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)business started by his grandfather. As a child, he unintentionally wrecks the factory (killing the company mascot in the process) and sent abroad to boarding school. Meanwhile, his father takes over the business and builds it to be a success.
Unfortunately, several years later, his father suffers a stroke (the replacement mascot dies in a yet another freak accident; it's a very funny visual gag). With father in a coma, Dennis comes back to find that he has been named successor to the business.
But wait.
First, he has to perform a task - he has to find a new company mascot (a rooster that crows at midnight during the full moon) within 14 days. Furthermore, the chicken can only be found in a remote village in countryside of Java.
And there are plenty of people to who want him to fail - namely Misran (Butet Kartaredjasa), the scheming Vice President who wants to take over the company for himself. He accompanies Dennis on his quest - trying to undermine his confidence and sabotage the mission.
There are several standout performances - Misran is effectively slimy; Saprai (Epy Kusnandar), the arrogant but clueless village local, is hysterical and the vehicle driver is truly funny.
But what sets Maskot apart is that it is full of heart and emotion. The movie examines familial relationships, parental expectations and sons and daughters trying to live up to them. In a dream sequence, Dennis has a heartwarming conversation with his father, where he confesses that he always felt inadequate to what was expected of him. Later on, Maruti (Uli Auliani), a young village woman that aids Dennis, tells him that he still has a chance to make things right, unlike her. It's moments like this that gives Maskot its soul.
Maskot is able to strike a delicate balance between comedy and drama and is an impressive debut from writer/director Robin Moran and his team.
