Air Mata di Ujung Sajadah tugs at the heartstrings because it recognizes the pain of losing one’s child, whether that be to elopement, death, or to their biological parent. This, with a stirring score, and the tears of Titi Kamal and Citra Kirana, makes Aqilla and Yumna easy to root for, as they try to settle who would best be Baskara’s mother. It’s not an easy decision, and the film thankfully refrains from turning either woman to be an antagonist. However, all the sorrow, pain, and suffering hinges on Halimah’s decision, that, in the first place, shouldn’t have been possible. As the film plays out into its inevitable conclusion, the journey there is heartwarming, maybe even tearjerking, but it doesn’t feel as satisfying as it could have been if Halimah dealt with the consequences of her actions.

Adoption isn’t an easy topic to discuss, especially when it happens due to some deceit. Legally, the circumstances of Baskara’s adoption are vague and might not even be possible today, but this kind of story would be familiar. The concept of rich people discreetly putting their daughter’s child through adoption to continue their daughter’s academic and career progression is an old story, one that people would easily recognize from cliché melodramas. That being said, if you can get over the terrible decisions of Aqilla’s mother Halimah, Titi Kamal and Citra Kirana deliver decent performances that are able to elicit some tears, at least to this viewer’s eyes. It’s really a shame that it was for such a soapy story, but it’s their acting that makes the film watchable.