Habibie & Ainun 3

Habibie & Ainun 3 is a 2019 Indonesian biographical romance film directed by Hanung Bramantyo and written by Ifan Ismail. The film is a sequel to Rudy Habibie (2016) and a prequel to the original Habibie & Ainun, serving as the third installment in the Habibie & Ainun film series. While Rudy Habibie focused on the youth of B.J. Habibie, Habibie & Ainun 3 centers on the younger years of his wife, Ainun. Maudy Ayunda stars as the titular character, with Reza Rahadian reprising his role and Jefri Nichol joining the cast. The film was released on 19 December 2019 in Indonesia and 26 December 2019 in Malaysia. It received positive reviews from both audiences and critics.

Plot

The film opens with a tribute by producer Manoj Punjabi to B. J. Habibie, who passed away on September 11, 2019.

On May 22, 2011, Habibie (Reza Rahadian) visits Ainun's grave to commemorate the first anniversary of his wife's death. While still in mourning, Habibie's family prepares dinner; through Thareq, Habibie requests a cheerful atmosphere for the meal. At the request of his grandchildren, Habibie begins to tell the story of "Eyang Putri," the nickname for Hasri Ainun Besari.

Habibie recounts his wife's life journey. During their time at Dago Christian High School, Habibie once teased Ainun (Maudy Ayunda) about her dark skin. One day, Habibie and his friends watched Ainun play a match of rounders (kasti), during which Ainun injured her leg and tore her shoe. Despite this, she continued playing and secured a victory for her team. While her teammates celebrated, Ainun noticed Habibie was no longer there. Upon returning home, she anxiously checked the mailbox for a letter from the University of Indonesia, as she intended to enroll in the Faculty of Medicine. She discovered the letter had been held by her brother for several days; upon opening it, she found she had been accepted. That evening, at a dance party, she encountered Habibie, who mentioned he had graduated from RWTH Aachen funded by his mother, stating that scholarships should be reserved for those more in need.

A flashback to 1944 in Sadeng, Semarang, Central Java, depicts the Besari family seeking refuge during the Japanese occupation. Ainun's mother, a midwife, arrived home after narrowly escaping Japanese soldiers. Despite the danger, she continued her duties; Ainun insisted on accompanying her through a heavy thunderstorm. They narrowly avoided a Japanese patrol before reaching a villager's house, where the delivery was successful. Following Indonesian independence, the family moved to a larger, more suitable home.

As a freshman at the University of Indonesia, Ainun faced hazing and harassment from senior students, including Agus (Arya Saloka). Nevertheless, her studies progressed smoothly, and she became a widely admired figure on campus, attracting the attention of Ahmad, a student from the Faculty of Law. While Ainun was practicing at a hospital, Ahmad approached her, noting her popularity among his peers, though Ainun remained indifferent. Later, Ahmad engaged in a judo match against his rival Soelarto (Kevin Ardilova), which Ainun disliked; the match was eventually broken up by her friend Arlis (Aghniny Haque).

During a field assignment in a slum, Ainun encountered an impoverished mother unable to afford medicine for her three sick children. While heading to the hospital to secure supplies, Ainun was intercepted by two thugs who attempted to assault and rob her. Ahmad intervened and subdued the attackers until the police arrived. Ainun continued her community service and was warmly received by the residents.

Sometime later, a Dutch Professor was deported to the Netherlands as part of a policy to prioritize Indonesian educators, a move that sparked disappointment among students. To unwind, Ainun and Ahmad went to the beach. Due to rain, they returned to Ahmad's home, where Ainun met his father, Husodo. Later, Ahmad took Ainun to a carnival and proposed to her, accompanied by three violinists. However, the evening turned tragic when a Ferris wheel malfunctioned. Ainun attempted to provide first aid to a child thrown from the ride, but the child died of a pneumothorax. The grieving mother blamed Ainun, calling her a murderer, though Husodo comforted her by saying that human effort cannot defy divine destiny.

The following day, Ainun returned to Bandung to find solace with her father. Upon returning to campus, she attended a dance where Ahmad and Agus engaged in a battle of wits through traditional poetry (pantun). When Agus insulted Ainun, a fight broke out, and Ahmad subdued him. Ahmad later apologized to Ainun but revealed his intention to leave Indonesia due to the negative experiences they had endured. In 1961, Husodo announced Ainun as the top graduate of her class. During her valedictorian speech on women's empowerment, she received a standing ovation, even earning a gesture of respect from Agus. The film concludes with a reunion where Habibie, having completed his studies, kisses Ainun, signaling the start of their relationship.

The film ends with a quote from Habibie and footage from an episode of Mata Najwa featuring the real B. J. Habibie.

Cast

• Maudy Ayunda as Ainun
  • Basmalah Gralind as young Ainun
• Reza Rahadian as Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie / Rudy
  • Elang El Gibran as teenage Rudy Habibie
• Jefri Nichol as Ahmad Notosastro
• Lukman Sardi as Mr. Besari (Ainun's father)
• Marcella Zalianty as Mrs. Besari (Ainun's mother)
• Arswendy Bening Swara as Professor Husodo Notosastro
• Jennifer Coppen as Dina
• Rebecca Klopper as Henny
• Teuku Ryzki as Wiratman
• Eric Febrian as Liem Keng Kie
• Aghniny Haque as Arlis Reksoprodjo
• Arya Saloka as Agus Sumarhadi
• Kevin Ardilova as Soelarto Reksoprodjo
• Diandra Agatha as Nadia
• Angga Aldi Yunanda as Muhammad Pasha Nur Fauzan
• Jourdy Pranata as Bambang
• Anodya Shula Neona Ayu as Tifani
• Irsyadillah as Dicky Zulkarnaen
• Carmela van der Kruk as Mieke Wijaya
• Mike Lucock as Ilham Akbar Habibie
• Tegar Satrya as Thareq Kemal Habibie
• Amara Nggana as Insana
• Alia Miranti as Widya
• Rassya Hidayah as Farhan
• Haura Lathifa as Farrah
• Graciella Abigail as Felicia
• Stani Arifasti as Ainun's aunt

As in the previous film Rudy Habibie, producer Manoj Punjabi also makes a cameo appearance.

Production

On June 25, 2016, Manoj Punjabi stated that production for the film would begin in 2017 and was scheduled for release that same year. On April 30, 2017, B. J. Habibie confirmed that Hanung Bramantyo would return as Director and Melly Goeslaw would handle the music score. Production was delayed until April 4, 2019, when MD Pictures officially announced the commencement of production and set a release date for December 19.

Visual effects

During production, Reza Rahadian's makeup process took six hours to complete. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) was also utilized to make Reza appear younger.

Hanung explained that to portray a young Habibie, Reza's performance was supported by using another person's body posture as a reference to make it look more realistic. These effects were developed entirely by an Indonesian team rather than overseas specialists.

Music

The film's official soundtrack is "Kamu & Kenangan" (You & Memories), performed by Maudy Ayunda herself. The soundtrack also features "Denganmu" (With You) performed by Adiva Ramadhani. Other songs included in the film are "Bidadari Surgaku" by Yakop Ferdinand, "Mawar Melayu" by Borock N Roll, "Denganmu Hanya Dirimu" by Adrian Martadinata & Adiva Ramadhani, "Hey Hey Hey Hey" by Borock N Roll, "Amarah Ahmad" by Tya Subiakto, and "Meraih Prestasi" by Tya Subiakto.

Release

Habibie & Ainun 3 was released on 19 December 2019, alongside Imperfect: Karier, Cinta & Timbangan. Due to the simultaneous release of these films, Reza Rahadian became the third actor to star in multiple films released on the same day, following Lukman Sardi in 2017—with Sweet 20, Jailangkung, and Surat Kecil untuk Tuhan—and Tatjana Saphira with Hit & Run and Ghost Writer. Wayan Diananto of Liputan 6 noted that Rahadian's achievement preceded that of Keanu Reeves, who was scheduled to star in two films set for the same release date in 2021: John Wick: Chapter 4 and The Matrix Resurrections. However, despite his involvement in the production, Habibie passed away on 11 September, before the film was released. The film also premiered on 26 December 2019 in Malaysia.

Marketing

The first trailer for Habibie & Ainun 3 was screened before showings of Danur 3: Sunyaruri and released online on 26 September 2019. The online release had been postponed from its original date of 11 September out of respect for Habibie's death on that day. By 1 November, the trailer had been viewed over 2.8 million times on YouTube, ranking 41st among the most-watched videos on the platform at the time. A final trailer was released on 11 November. Before his death, Habibie had been able to view both trailers.

The first teaser poster was released on 11 August 2019. A second teaser poster, originally scheduled for 11 September, was cancelled following Habibie's death; it was eventually released alongside the trailer on 26 September. The official poster was unveiled on 31 October, and a giant version measuring 21x26 meters was displayed on the MD Place building for three consecutive weeks.