[1] Nugroho made his directorial debut with 1991's Cinta dalam Sepotong Roti (Love in a Slice of Bread), overcoming bureaucracy caused by his refusal to join the Indonesian filmmakers' union.

[7] The Jakarta Post writes that Nugroho's films emphasize aesthetics, but contain sociopolitical messages.

[8] However, he has faced criticism that his films are too difficult for the general public to understand; Seno Gumira Ajidarma credits this to Nugroho's narrative style, which comes across as strange to Indonesian viewers.

[2] Joko Anwar, writing for The Jakarta Post, notes that dialogue written by Nugroho tends to lack believability.

[1] Nugroho also mixes historical footage with staged scenes in several of his movies, including Surat Untuk Bidadari and Aku Ingin Menciummu Sekali Saja.