Guest Review | Makepung: The Story of a Balinese Buffalo Racer
Generous guest review by the great writer D.H (instagram.com/about.which). For me it’s great to see that the expression of Balinese culture has been received and the emotions I tried to carve into the story have been felt. Thanks a lot!
We’re in Bali sky with buffalo and master. The history of the racing tradition letters the screen while plays to the tune of synth and bells a building intensity.
We move into race day and the crowd is waiting. The buffaloes are crowned in fine gear. It is clear that they, and the tradition, are held in high regard. The tension is rising. But the racing is put off for now and we are back at the stable where we meet a protagonist. Marko immerses our senses; playing us the visceral sounds surrounding the stable. We watch the man groom his buffalo.
The man is Wayan Riyasa. He looks every bit the Balinese. Gentle. Humble. But behind the mild manner a bold determination and ferocity; both of which are required for competition and survival in these parts.
Wayan has two buffaloes purchased long ago and teaches his young son the buffalo way. Like any sport, the glory is won far away from the arena; it is shaped and honed over hours of sacrifice. Makepung is no different.
The buffalo must be cared for in the proper way and kept with a filial responsibility. Wayan wants his son to become a jockey, but just as important is learning how to care for the buffalo, to grow with it, and understand its way - I am reminded of the digital Tamagotchis of my youth and how I would trade all of them for a real buffalo.
But real life brings risks and buffalo racing is not without its dangers. People have been killed. It is no cakewalk. As we learn this fact Marko dials us in further with a dramatic fade.
Where else but to resume than race day. Morning. A visit to the Hindu temple for prayer. The buffalo’s horns are then decorated and momentum shifts into competition mode.
‘A beautiful necklace’ and bells to sound the way. A shot of face in deep focus and then it is time. The buffaloes are faster than I expect and they race in pairs, pulling along a carriage and jockey whose whip snaps to a cacophony of bells and crowd and hammering mud. Lest anyone get in the way.
Marko shows us things don’t always go to plan as we watch beast and carriage careen into the tall crop.
‘The buffalo is a wild animal’ and we are not to forget that despite the pomp and cheer.
Another mood change as we are told what prize the buffaloes race for. Again, unexpected
The life of a buffalo jockey is longer than that of a footballer but less than that of a golfer. Like the boxer, fitness and strength are determining factors, and our man plans to retire at 45.
Makepung runs in the blood, we are told, and then a high shot of crops splayed with sunlight. Racing tradition will be passed down by Wayan to his sons and grandsons. Preserved and always held in the highest regard; these men and their buffaloes, of temple and track.
Marko’s passion for the story behind these racing people mirrors their own and together they make for a warming marvel, and all of it in 8 minutes and some.
Makepung: The story of a Balinese Buffalo Racer.
D.H. (instagram.com/about.which)