Already banned by the Indonesian government, this new work by Leonard Retel Helmrich (2005 Full Frame Grand Jury Award Winner—Shape of the Moon) introduces us to the Jakarta-based puppeteer and troubadour Agus Nur Amal. We travel with him as he uses performance to inspire critical reflection on Islam, terror, and cultural imperialism. At a children’s puppet show he re-enacts the September 11 attacks.  “Everything you see on your television is a lie: in this cardboard television the people are made of flesh and blood,” he tells his young audience. In another sequence, he confronts the Bali night club bomber in his jail cell. A notorious extremist leader, the bomber quotes the Koran and speaks of Paradise. Amal confronts him in song. What appears simple is anything but. If humor is a path to truth, this troubadour has found the authentic amidst the wreckage of politics and hate. PB