It didn’t occur to me that I would come back to the Dilan franchise and write another review of the novel after such a long time, but an anonymous person’s request lit up my determination to make a return. Here I am, recommencing my journey through the world of Dilan and Milea that feels like a feel-good morning coffee to sip under the gorgeous sunshine as I am waiting for the moon to come.
I wrote a review of the first novel back in 2018 here, just around the corner of the first movie’s release date. It mainly revolves around their pre-dating phase back in 1990 on the stage of getting to know each other. On another note, this sequel tells the conflict occurrences when Dilan and Milea were dating in 1991, told from Milea’s point of views at present time after she turned into an adult. Just like how the narrative underwent slight shift to the more mature one, I could also pinpoint the growth of my writing style and tone these days in comparison to the ones in 2018. Nevertheless, I still flip the pages in excitement of visualizing Dilan arc inside my mind.
The Gist
Tujuan pacaran adalah untuk putus. Bisa karena menikah, bisa karena berpisah. (The phase of dating someone leads to a breakup, be it alluding to marriage or bon voyage.) – Pidi Baiq (1972-2098)
There were certainly more heartfelt collisions than ever between the lovebirds. According to Milea’s perspective, her burgeoning feelings for him keeps getting her intoxicated in puberty love, with its ups and downs. She likes everything about Dilan, from his playfulness, manner of speaking and how he carries himself, except for the fact that Dilan always gets himself involved in a dangerous biker gang that gets violent at times. As lovey dovey as they seemed to be, re-reading the novel at the age of almost 27 makes me realize just how shallow their communication was, hence the conflicts. It might be that smartphones weren’t a thing back then, but they indeed lacked proper heart-to-heart communication at that time. But I guess everything just fell at the right place given the level of emotional maturity at their age. Fortunately, Milea was surrounded with good people who support her emotions and well-being, from her own mother, friends (Wati and Piyan), even to Dilan’s mother.
About Milea’s complicated thoughts
One thing about Milea is that she is soo much different from me. Milea speaks up her mind in clarity, whether she misses Dilan or not, whether she is pissed off with him or not. Up until that point, everything was all fine and dandy. [SPOILER ALERT] When Dilan started getting into muddy fights with his fellow biker gang members, Milea almost lost her mind out of uncontrollable fear and worry in case things go astray. Milea went to him on an evening and took out her anger seriously, that she would break up with him if he fought again. At a sudden, Yugo appeared by her side and stuck nose into their conversations unwantedly. Dilan left just like that, and it wasn’t clear to the readers about how he was feeling at that time. In the latter part of the story, it was revealed a friend’s death which was supposedly related to biker gangs’ dangerous acts. Milea freaked out even more only to find out that Dilan seemed to be planning something dangerous with his gang members. She only wanted the best for him, but he was someone whose soul reeked so much freedom. Milea called off the relationship, and so did the intertwined fate between them. [END OF SPOILERS] Milea was indeed a brave cookie for having the guts to end things that didn’t feel right for her, even if she was overwhelmed with negative emotions at that time. Her bravery felt raw to me because she did it knowing it would bleed her hard.
Frankly speaking, while the couple wasn’t considered toxic for each other, they didn’t have a healthy relationship one either. There was just too much mystery surrounding Dilan and, albeit that serves as one of his charms, it didn’t really work out with Milea, who seems to seek a long-term trustworthy connection. For a young girl as devoted as Milea, it’s easy to yearn for Dilan’s existence day and night even without his presence. Thus, it’s easier for her to fall into dejection when her loyalty didn’t seem to be reciprocated. Milea wanted to let him know that she only meant well for both of them, even when her mouth was bidding farewell. On the other hand, it’s impossible to dive into Dilan’s worldview when he barely said anything serious about their relationship. It’s unreal to have a vanish hope that Dilan would change a habit he has been used to doing before meeting Milea, even if she didn’t mean it so that she could take control of him. Eventually, Dilan backed down by himself after the breakup notice and left a huge scar on her heart just like that.
About Dilan’s poetic arc
There is Dilan and his iconic lines here and there throughout the novel. His alluring charms spark even more when he starts playful banters that constantly put a smile on her face.
Kalau aku jadi presiden yang harus mencintai seluruh rakyatnya, aduh, maaf, aku pasti tidak bisa karena aku cuma suka Milea. (If a president is obliged to love all his citizens, surely I’m out of the league since my love is only for Milea.) – Dilan 1991, page 30
It isn’t my place to make a judgement on his character based on Milea’s interpretation alone, but Dilan seems to have a lot more stories to tell than what appears on his outer shell. [SPOILER ALERT] Regardless, it’s kind of regrettable to see the sinking ship just because he couldn’t express his honesty towards her. So many words were left unspoken that, at the verge of breaking up, Dilan didn’t even try to explain himself and left Milea broken-hearted. [END OF SPOILERS]
Novel vs Movie
It’s been so long since I watched the movie, but I could easily comprehend every little word in the novel and translate it into movie scenes like a déjà vu. The movie was released in 2019 and hit more than 4 millions viewers just on the 9th day of the release. Dilan was a huge franchise everyone and their mother know at that time, for how nostalgic it made the viewers feel. The movie was well-synchronized with the novel and brought Dilan and Milea’s souls alive. I think Iqbaal Ramadhan and Vanesha Prescilla executed their given role equally well and produced a work of art to remember for a long time.
Final Conclusion
Learning about Milea’s lamentable thoughts about Dilan genuinely feels like undergoing another heartbreak that might not heal forever. The thing between Dilan and Milea came to an end without proper closure up to the present time and might keep haunting both of them separately. There have never been any space to conclude what it was, convey gratitude nor apology, even to throw any tantrum left, making it the worst kind of farewell that allows the glorification of any remaining what-ifs and chains one’s feet from moving forward. Thankfully Milea did move on and built a much better relationship in the end but the traces of Dilan never disappear from her mind because of too many questions attached. I believe that communication holds the key to any kind of relationship, be it to sail further or sink deeper.
Grade
7,5/10
The Scorching Heaven 