The Vendetta against Dr. Fauci

 The Republicans have initiated one of their more disgusting actions when accusing Dr. Fauci of mishandling the Covid Crisis.

The covid pandemic was grossly mishandled by their regime and voters should be demanding an accounting.  Start with their leader, Donald Trump who in an effort to make room for a counter productive tax reduction dismantled protections that had been set up by the Obama/Biden team.  Nobody knew much about it, but some precautions seemed reasonable such as social distancing and masks.  Lockdowns certainly worked in other countries.  Vaccinations also worked in other countries.  Bleach did not work, and in fact would endanger others.  The lack of respect for science was underlying the fight.

Did Dr. Fauci make mistakes or take too long to figure things out.  Possibly.  The search for information was intense and it is human to make mistakes.  He did not mislead.

Did American funds allow Chinese labs to manufacture the pandemic?  Where is the proof?  It would seem counterproductive for the Chinese government, but maybe somebody in the lab was careless or short sightedly vindictive.  

Lockdowns may well have hurt the economy, but not as much as the unchecked pandemic would have.   Education is critical, but schools are a gathering of young people who interact.

The current Trump administration has made many mistakes.  One over riding one is their lack of respect for science, particularly when it goes against established businesses.  To many, climate change should be the number one priority, but Trump has told a United Nations audience that "climate change is a hoax" and his staff act as if it were true.

His minister of health, Robert F Kennedy has a long record opposing vaccinations which helped boost a recent measles epidemic.

Trump does not admit mistakes and may have felt Dr. Fauci over shadowed him (he indeed did) during the pandemic.  He is looking for distractions from such things as the Epstein files and the disastrous tariffs combined with an unnecessary invasion of Iran to further add hurtful inflation.

Dr. Fauci was correct to use the Fifth Amendment and his explanation was very accurate.  They wanted him in prison to hide their guilt.

I believe the attack on Dr. Fauci will be another nail against Republican election prospects.  Don't let the voters forget this disgusting attack on a national hero.

Nelson DeMille's Last Book: The Tin Men

After the death of Nelson' DeMille it was thought that "Blood Lines" was his last novel.  Not so.  He had begun "The Tin Man "with his son Alex and it leaves a fitting conclusion.

Why do we readers get started on a particular author?  Then, why do we stick with them?  With Nelson DeMille I learned he was related to my mother in law (first cousins) and shortly after I learned that he had a book of the month club selection. and my habit began.  More on the family connection:   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/05/tribute-to-nelson-demille-real-writer-i.html

There are a few differences from most of his previous books, for instance, that it is set entirely in the United States.  More of a domestic conspiracy.  More modern in that the main issue is about a contemporary concern.

It starts with a mysterious brutal death at a military camp.  It is all very top secret and Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, familiar to DeMille's fans are brought in to investigate.  The camp is set up to research a future warfare strategy using "lethal autonomous weapons" i.e. robots.  These robots are all equipped with all sorts of fail safe protections.  They are engaged in pretend battles with human troops and have won every single battle.  

Checking on the safeguards seems impressively secure, but checking into more details reveals that all is not as it seems.  One camp leader is out to prove that humans can defeat the machines, but has been frustrated with results.  The readers gradually learn that all the personnel are not uniform in their acceptance of the project.

What can go wrong?  I would say the two authors are skeptical about claims that robots can be controlled.  Somehow the robots are able to overcome the restrictions and start to kill some humans.  They seem organized and able to think with more sophisticated thinking than they had been designed for.

Of course, bottom line,  it is some humans who have their own motives.  Perhaps I imagined it, but it seemed the authors felt people desiring power are always looking for ways to develop their power. 

Another danger alluded to is the dangers of recreational drugs.  It seems soldiers restricted to isolated areas are under stress and some will seek comfort they believe can be found in drugs.  Psilocybin made from mushrooms was supposed to be especially good at handling stress.  

Robotic warfare is justified by the notion that our enemies are developing it, therefore we need to keep pace.  This goes through all history starting with sticks and stones.  There will always be those who want to use whatever tools are available to develop their personal greed and power. 

Scott Brodie, the hero has been carried forth from a few previous novels and in some ways seems more mature, but he is a bit of a maverick who at some point defies convention to do something he thinks is right.  Often the reader might agree, but recognize actins ae not not acceptable to many others.    

One habit of Nelson's was auctioning off character names for charities.

This has been an enjoyable path circumstances have guided me through.  Once I joined a Nelson DeMille fan website that led to a Facebook friend who recommended some books and films that became blog posts.  One can never be sure what path you are embarking on that could make life more meaningful. 

UNMARRY

 "UNMARRY" (2025) is sort of a romance drama.  At times you will be hoping for a breakup and other times, not.  Celine is married to Stephen, a cheerful, self righteous man who loves his two daughters.  Ivan is a man who loves his son and his wife, but she wants to split and deny any custody.

They both end up at the same attorney who is a woman who does videos on the legal separation process.  Attorney Jackie mismanages her time and the two separate cases end up being counselled at the same time.  Without this unlikely event the plot would have to be adjusted.  At heart Celine wants her kids, but wants to separate from her stifling husband.  Ivan declares he still loves his wife and his son and is fighting an annulment.  

Celine's husband built up a restaurant named Celine's, paying for everything while she actually ran the restaurant.  In person and later in court he seems to feel he owns everything because he paid for everything.  He obviously does love his daughters and feels with his money he can give them a good life.

Ivan's wife, Maya was a successful business woman who sees her husband as an alcoholic and irresponsible and he agrees.  Ivan seems to feel he supported her when she started out, and now he needs support.  He obviously loves his son.  In court his son seems to give more verbal support for his mother, but is obviously torn.

The attorney seems to fill the need for some comedy, but she does give reasonable advice.  The two listen to each story and sympathize with one another.  Celine says she does not really love her husband, but Ivan thinks there must be some love.  The two are also attracted to one another and furthermore also get involved with each other's spouse and children.  

There is a need for humour as the tension is overwhelming as we are made conscious of the children's agony.  There are a few logical outcomes and you might not be surprised by the ending.  It is well done.

As an aside the script brings up Singapore as one of the four has a chance to get a promotion by moving there.  At another stage the script brought up the opinion that there are many difficulties in the world and that United States under Donald Trump made many bad choices while Singapore made better ones.

The cast and crew did a wonderful job.  Here are a few.

Jeffrey Jeturian was the director.  He has 34 directing credits, 8 for production designing and 3 for writing.

Josi (Josabeth) Alonso who works with and is friends with Jeffrey Jeturian suggested the topic from her experience as a practising lawyer and then became an executive producer.  She has always been interested in films.  Her first one was in the Cebuana  (indigenous) language and lost money, so in the future she did some commercial films to help finance films on topics not usually covered.  As a producer she says the hardest thing is saying "no" to directors who want to do more.  She has 95 credits with the editorial department, 57 for producing and 6 for additional crew including "Ballot" (2024).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/02/ballot.html   

Chris Martinez was the writer.  He has 34 writing credits, 23 for directing and 5 for producing.

Len Calvo was the music director.  She has 106 credits for composing, 16 for the music department and 2 for acting including "Green Bones" (2024).

Kara Mareno was the cinematographer.  Kara has 29 cinematographer credits, 37 for the camera & electrical department and 1 for the art department including "Isa Pa with Feelings" (2019).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/12/isa-pa-with-feelings-really-helps.html

Benjo Ferrer was the editor.  He has 70 credits for the editorial department, 31 for editor and 2 for the colour department.

Angelica Panganiban played Celine.  She was born of a Filipina mother and a U.S. navy member and adopted.  She started acting in films as a child actress and won an award for best child actress.  Along the way she won comedy acting awards.  She has 83 acting credits.

Zanjoe Marudo played Ivan.  One of his earliest jobs was as a model for undergarments.  He has 68 acting credits.

Tom Rodriguez played Stephen.  He has 59 acting credits and 3 for soundtrack.

Eugene Domingo played Attorney Jackie.  She married an Italian film critic.  Eugene has 127 acting credits and 4 for soundtrack.

Nico Antonio played Attorney Willi.  He has 107 acting credits, 3 for producing and 2 for soundtrack including "Ballot" (2024). 

Soleen Heussaff played Maya.  She has 49 acting credits and 2 for soundtrack.

"UNMARRY" (with the caps) is available subtitled, on Netflix.  It leads up to a happy ending of one of your choices, but you would have to see which one.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily recommended, but generally found to be worth my time.  If you follow the links you would be better able to decide which films to pursue.

The Trump countdown requires some heavy thinking

 We, (not just U.S. voters), are looking at the loss of Trump's dictatorial powers beginning in less than 100 days.  We need to be careful as he will not give up his power without a fight (not likely a fair fight).  He still has wealthy supporters and too many ignorant voters on his side.  Ignore them at your peril.  There is still lots of prejudice to be stirred up.  For now we see the Democrats as the best instrument for justice.

The issues that non Trump voters can rally around are affordability, ICE and unnecessary wars.  He has already attempted to restrict voting and is prepared to contest any result contrary to his desires.  Although there are many other issues that especially progressives feel are critical they should play in the background.  Climate change is one issue that is getting more acceptance, but is not a strong enough vote incentive as affordability.  Concentrating on what people want is the safest way to insure victory at the polls.  

We should also bear in mind that there is a gap of close to 3 months between the vote and inauguration of the new Senators and House Representatives.  The actual numbers do make a difference.  The losers may react in a variety of ways.  Some will bide their time until the public mood changes while others will fight with whatever legislative power they have and some will accept the public verdict perhaps with some relief and move on.  Trump will be more desperate, realizing his power and even his freedom will be attacked.  

Assuming they do indeed achieve real power the Democrats still need to be careful.  Being vindictive can have negative consequences.  What the Democrats campaigned on and helped them win should be the priorities.  Like many others I believe Donald Trump belongs in prison, but the effort will stir some backlash and will take time away from other goals.  

My priority would be to get climate change acknowledged and dealt with more effectively.  But there are so many other issues.  Decisions have to be made for priorities.  Below are a few thoughts.

Al Gore once said that before climate change can be dealt with we need to fix the political process.  This could be a long effort, but the idea that the electoral college should control all other decisions needs to be challenged.  The losers in that effort would be small states.  Rural residents will also feel threatened.  Proportional representation is fairer and cuts down on political manipulation.  Obama once told us that inequality encourages violence.

Having been a poll clerk I do like the idea of proper identification, but it must be accessible for everyone.  We need to make it easy for everyone to vote.

Affordability has many angles.  Tariffs hurt everyone.  On the other hand poor countries may require protection against rich countries.  Making the world a fair place may not be an immediate priority, but people should be aware that a balance is also in everyone's interest.  Wars should not be the result of a threatened president wanting to cover his sins.  Congress should have the final say.  Taxes need to be balanced, but admit that the rich may not co-operate.  This is a loaded topic involving incentives for hard work and innovation, spending for fairness and overall health.

Immigration is for many a touchy subject.  The irony is that America (and the west in general and Japan) need immigration to replace the unborn babies we count on to take care of us in our old age.  There will likely be dirty work that established citizens look down upon.  Really to be honest, we need their energy and their perspectives.  Much of our innovation and entrepreneurship has been driven by immigrants.  Fortunately the cruelty of ICE repulses many voters.  

Trump made a very big deal with using his executive powers on inauguration day to enact his idea of changes.  The new crew needs to have their own agenda and announce it promptly.

A balanced budget that helps lessen the national debt may not be noticed by many, but would have a few immediate benefits and increase everyone's freedom in the long run.  That means attention to revenue as part of all spending decisions.  

A long term project is to fight ignorance that too often leads to hate.  Trump has pointedly tried to cut out awareness of American acceptance of slavery and indigenous abuses in national museums.  Education is primarily a state responsibility, but obviously national interests are involved.  In the conflict with Iran it has been stated and thought that "they hate us because we're Christians." when the truth is Americans have helped overturn an Iranian democracy in 1953.  Trump has stated that the rest of the world has taken advantage of Americans which is a distortion of reality.  This will be an ongoing battle, but I like to think that a little light will help open our eyes (and hearts).

The Supreme Court is another touchy issue that affects us all.  Traditionally the President makes a nomination and the Senate debates before confirming.  The court needs to be above politics.  As a progressive I recognize the danger of catering too much to public mood, but the court should be respected.  The future is uncertain, but it should not be decided by a group of powerful people.

Winning Congress is only a short term project.  Winning the 2028 election is vital so wasting time and goodwill is counter productive.  

The American Revolution was supposed to give power to the people as opposed to a monarch.  Most Americans overlook the role of the Magna Carta on the road to democracy.  Many of us would agree that Democracy is a fragile thing that needs careful monitoring.  Donald Trump has provided a scary proof of what can happen if democracy is taken for granted.

Baseball Lovers will find "Hot Stove League" fascinating

 Baseball is a game loaded with statistics and the art of hitting an elusive ball where no one can catch it.  "Hot Stove League" (2019) is the most comprehensive sports series I have seen.  We mostly see the players and coach in most sports films, but it takes more to keep a professional sports franchise operating

The main character Baek Seung-soo, with an unusual background applies for the the general manager job for a Korean baseball team.  Although he has no baseball managing experience he had taken teams in three different sports (handball, wrestling and ice hockey) to the top after which they disbanded.  The operations manager, Lee Se-young and the coaches are repulsed by the idea, but somewhere in the ownership they are impressed with him and he does get hired.  

He certainly does have some odd ideas to turn a last place team to a winner.  At first he makes no changes amongst the management or coaching staff although aware of quarrelling among the coaches, but soon makes a move upsetting to them all.  He wants to trade their one top player who is very resentful to the idea.  It turns out Seung-soo has analyzed statistics in a sophisticated manner and starts to win over some of the management staff.

But this is just the tip of an iceberg.  The series explores scouting, statistics, drafting, training, contracts, public relations, marketing merchandise and ad space.  Trades are at the heart of what a general manager does.  Seung-soo sought teams with a weakness at a position that he was strong in and offer a player for their weakness.  At one point breaking down batting average to the spring, summer and fall.  When the steroid scandal developed, punishments were adjusted to discourage, but also to early confessions and this affected trades.        

Two other issues provide complications.  Match fixing is a concern at the league level.  Citizenship requirements, unique to Korea provide emotional concerns.

The corporation owning the team is concerned with branding, while keeping expenses low and reputation. intact  They force changes for the baseball operations.  Their inner workings with regard to the dynamics outside baseball inevitably impinge on the team.

The cast and crew have created a very engaging series.  Here are some of them.

Dong Yoon Jung was the director.  He has 3 directing credits.

Lee Shin-Hwa was the writer with this being his only credit.

Park Eun-bin played the operations manager, Lee Se-yeung who personifies a feminist heroine in that she is not only attractive and likeable, but also does a good job without any romantic entanglements.  She has 30 acting credits including "The King's Affection" (2021), "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (2022) and "Castaway Diva" (2023).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/08/extraordinary-attorney-woo.html

Namgoong Min played Baek Seung-su.  He has 34 acting credits.

Oh Jung-se played Kwon Kyeong-min, a key ownership executive.  He has 100 acting credits including "Swing Kids" (2018), "When the Camellia Blooms" (2019), "It's Okay Not To Be Okay" (2020), "Little Women" (2022), "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (2023), "When the Stars Gossip" (2025) and "We Are All Trying Here" (2026).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/its-okay-not-to-be-okay.html   Note: Both Oh Jung-se and Park Eun-Bin have won awards for prominent roles as autistics in a series.

Song Jong-hak played Go Kang-seon, an ownership executive.  He has 57 acting credits including "When the Camellia Blooms" (2019) and "Flower of Evil"(2020).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/10/flower-of-evil.html 

Ha Do-Kwon played Kang Do-gi, one of the traded baseball players.  He has 31 acting credits including "My Mister" (2018) and "Doctor John" (2019).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/02/doctor-john-highlights-pain.html

Kim Soo-jin  played Lim Mi-jin, the marketing manager.  She has 37 acting credits including "Navillera" (2021).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/11/navillera.html

Jeon Gook Hwan played Kwan Il-do, the chairman of the ownership group.  He has 62 acting credits including "Glove" (2011), "Silenced" (2011), "My Mister" (2018) and "Crash Landing on You" (2019).  Note:  "Glove" is another Korean baseball film based on a true story about a suspended pro baseball player required to coach a team of deaf students.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/02/crash-landing-on-you-very-addicting.html

Most sports movies are all about a team overcoming odds to be a winner.  "Hot Stove Lounge" is more about maintaining a sports organization under very trying circumstances.  It can be viewed on Netflix subtitled.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  Some of them are among my favourite Korean films and a big part of my Korean obsession.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if any film is worth following up.

World Cup 2026

The FIFA World Cup  (for men) is certainly the biggest global sporting event.  For the most part, the best players and managers are on display for our enjoyment.  For some it is an opportunity for corruption and for others a platform for political action.  The audience is there as they love the competition.

In the preliminaries to the event Gianni Infantino decided to cater to the vanity of Donald Trump by awarding him a peace prize.  Trump had openly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize that had been rejected for obvious reasons. 

Donald Trump was on display taking advantage of photo opportunities and chances to impose policies.  Their immigration program is racist and political.  Iran qualified and the luck of the draw scheduled their 3 games at American stadiums, but were only allowed to compete in America for the games and forced to stay overnight in Mexico.  Disadvantaged they were eliminated by a late goal scored by Algeria.  The mother of the Cape Verde goalie was at first refused admission.

Somalia was one of the countries not allowed to come to the U.S., but a Somali referee was considered one of the top referees from Africa.  He was not allowed at all by the Trump government.  

A top American player, Faloran Balogun was given a red card, meaning not eligible for the next game.  Trump decided to use his influence and managed to have the red card disregarded.  The result was disastrous for the U.S. as they made critical mistakes and lost 4-1.  Faloran Balogun, the suspended player approached the Belgian coach to apologize, but the Belgian coach did not blame him, the decision was made by others.  

To give Trump some credit he had one interesting idea.  American football should be renamed so that soccer can be called football.  It is confusing for English (and French) speaking North Americans as our football is mostly running and passing.  Unfortunately this idea is not going far as the N.F.L. is well entrenched with the American (and Canadian) public.  

Impossible not to notice that many of the European players were African in origin, but still the African nations barely barely made it for the knockout rounds.  It seemed that colonizers did better than the colonized.  Morocco was an exception in that 19 of their 26 players were born outside Morocco and they did advance to the knockout round.  Al Jazeera pointed out that minority players are subject to racist remarks such as with the Netherlands public after three minority players failed in a shoot out

Another political element was regarding Palestine.  The Egyptian coach displayed a Palestine flag and advocated for them--During the first half of the Egypt/Argentina knock out game the Egyptian team scored 2 goals.  However in the second half Argentina overcame with input from Lionel Messi and won the game 3-2.  Egyptians claimed the ref was unfair.  There always seems to be room for criticism.  FIFA, itself has long recognized the Palestine football club and allowed them to take part in qualifying rounds.

Argentina fans made a protest about the Falklands, better known to them as Les Malvinas.  The Argentine government was pro Israel, but the general population was more sympathetic to the Palestinians.

The decision to increase the teams from 32 to 48 countries was beneficial.  Small countries got a chance to   play as everyone got 3 games and a few surprised experts.  Cape Verde was perhaps the biggest surprise.  The second smallest population in the tournament, but in group games they were all  draws including against eventual winner, Spain.  In the first knockout Argentina came from behind to win in injury time.  Another surprise was when Paraguay defeated Germany in a shootout.

I would love to see my Canadian team do better, but not too surprised, being eliminated in their first knockout game.  They put on a fair show, but have a long way to go. 

There were lots of interesting facts.

The Japanese, following their example from the previous World Cup cleaned up their seats after game setting a good example picked up by Paraguay.  The Japanese goalie Zion Suzuki was born in the U.S. with a Japanese mother and a Ghanian father.

Lionel Messi setting all time World Cup scoring record until Kyrian Mbappe of France (with a Cameroonian father) broke some of them.

Erling Haaland was a likable star for the Norwegian team whose fans had developed a crowd cheering motion with rowing simulation.

For the first time hydration breaks were part of each game.  Many fans were annoyed and suggesting the purpose was for tv. ads.  Personally I felt over time better for the game. An acknowledgement of climate change and an adjustment we will see more of.  As the World Cup wound up Canada and part of the United States were dealing with some serious forest fires.  Trump blamed Canada, but he is an example of not acknowledging climate change.

Another innovation was a half time show for the final game.  To get in some headliners the break time was extended.  The headliners included Justin Bieber, Shakira, Madonna, BTS and Gustavo Dudamel.  Seemed well received by the fans.  On television the action started inside the stadium, but was visible by big screens.

As with all sports there is an element of flukiness in football such as the position of the ref, the bounce of the ball, position of light and shadow, etc while the better teams manage to their benefit.  As a low scoring game, football can sometimes be decided by a fluke.

In the game to decide 3rd place, England beat France, 6-4, the highest scoring game of the tournament.  Saku for England had 3 goals duplicating a feat of Messi.

Spain deservedly won the trophy defeating Argentina in the final, but I would say France was second best.  I realize Trump wanted Argentina to win as he is cosy with their leader and was upset with Spain over some military issues (refusing to help his Iran attack).  He did get booed when getting ready to present the trophy and medals.  He had to be pulled off the stage while the Spanish players were celebrating.

It still amazes me that the World Cup draws more attention than the Olympics, but it definitely is a massive fan favourite.  I would like to think I will get to indulge in my love for athletic excellence, drama and international good will.

"Me Before Me"--another gem from far away

 Indonesia is far away and thought by us to be a third world country.  But it is not nearly as  backward as many westerners might imagine.  From my position they keep turning out thoughtful and engaging films.  They do have a different culture--for one they are the largest Muslim country in the world with over 280 million citizens.  Like all people they share the same issues, birth, death, hope, fear, love, hate, hunger, etc..

Growing up from being totally dependent to a mature adult can be pretty rough, but most of us stumble through it.  "Me Before Me" (2026) is about a unique person and his unique family and friends.  Much of their growth toward maturity is unique, but in some ways, not.  A teenager, Jati is first shown as a winner of a big prize in school.  While the whole school celebrates, he has a panic attack, throws down the trophies and walks away.  He is suspended, but learns of a special school, one where there is a lot of freedom to express oneself.  His father only tolerates it because of a suspension which will expire in a few months.  Jaya, his father has high expectations and steers Jata on a path to success. 

At the school Jati encounters Asa and she decides he can help her with a project.  The project is to learn about her family history.  She feels if you ask different people about the same things you will learn something deeper.  Her mother and father and a few others tell the same stories, but when she encounters an uncle with early stage dementia she learns a major fact about herself.  

Jati is encouraged to follow her example with her help.  Eventually he learns there is more to his father's history that had been lied about.  There are secrets in many families, many of which are kept.  Sometimes they are uncovered and sometimes provides understanding.  Jati and Asa do not get romantically involved, but are true friends helping each other through some awkward situations.

This is a very professional film and below are listed a few that made it so.

Gina S. Noer was the director and writer.  She has been known as Ginatri S. Noer.  Born in Madagascar.  She has written and edited books.  Gina has 29 credits as a writer, 9 as producer and 6 as director including "Habibie & Ainum" (2012),  "Cemara's Family" (2018) and "Ali and the Queens" (2021).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/01/cemaras-family.html

Deska Binarso was the cinematographer.  He has 5 cinematography credits.

Aji Praditya was the editor.  Aji has 24 editor credits, 3 for the editorial department and 1 for writing.

Ringgo Agus Rahman played Jaya, the father.  He had been a radio host starting in 2005 and interviewed well known director Hanung Bramanthyo who gave him a role that got his film career started.  Ringgo has 58 acting credits including "Cemara's Family" (2018), "Falling in Love Like in the Movies" (2020), "Cemara's Family 2" (2022), "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024) and as the lovable dad in "Call Me Dad" (2025).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/call-me-dad.html    and  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/06/falling-in-love-like-in-movies.html  and   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/07/a-brother-and-7-siblings.html

Bima Sena played Jati.  He has 17 acting credits.

Widuri Puteri played Asa.  She has 3 acting credits and 1 for soundtrack.

Verdi Solaiman played Asa's father.  He studied and worked in Columbus, Ohio on advertising design.  He has been an acting coach.  Verdi has 105 acting credits, 4 for directing and 2 for producing including "Cigarette Girl" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/11/cigarette-girl.html

"Me Before Me" is available on Netflix, dubbed and subtitled.  Also known as "Aku Sebelum Aku".  This is a well done film you will enjoy especially if you have ever uncovered family secrets.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  Some of them are among my favourite Indonesian films and a big part of my Indonesian obsession.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if any film is worth following up.