Joko Anwar directs a film that cruises through the genres, as it begins like a realistic drama, then becomes a romance and eventually a thriller with political elements. Furthermore, his distinct sense of humor is always present, and exemplified in scenes like the one with the gay porn. Apart from that, the movie features much less violence than his previous works (“The Forbidden Door” for example), although it is not completely absent. The political message is quite poignant and derives from the concept of the crime lord and her dealings with the authorities, in a segment that is largely based on true events.
“A Copy of my Mind” is also a hymn to Jakarta, as it highlights everyday life in the capital of Indonesia and features many different aspects of it. In that fashion, Ical Tanjung's cinematography does wonders in portraying the various locations in the city as realistically as possible, with the element of realism becoming even more heightened by the fact that Anwar did not use artificial lighting at all, just the one already existing in the locations he shot. Along with the precise editing, the movie gives the impression that it is an expensive production, although the case is exactly the opposite.
