A New Female Identity in Indonesian Films: A Feminist Critical Discourse on Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak

Abstract

After the New Order Era (1998-present), women's involvement in the Indonesian film industry increased significantly. Previously, Indonesian cinema conceived more unfavourable content toward women. However, nowadays, women are no longer regarded as forceless and dependent in the eyes of men but as the inspirers who are active and highly educated. They serve as producers, directors, trainers, publicists, and distributors behind the camera. This article contended that these women filmmakers develop a distinct female identity from their male counterparts. It further examined how they establish a distinct feminine identity by incorporating a variety of female characters throughout their films. This study applied Robert Stanton and Sara Mills's analysis technique to filmmaker Mouly Surya's Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak to demonstrate how she deals with the identification of female characters focused on women's concerns, stereotypic phenomena, and how women use movies to express themselves. The results show that women filmmakers represented the women's revolution in filmmaking. They filmed not only to amuse but also to liberate women from stereotypes and to oppose gender-based violence. Besides, films are also considered an ideological tool for combating men's stereotyped images of women and can be used to increase respect for the issues of women’s marginalisation. Keywords: Female identity, women filmmakers, Indonesian film, feminism, patriarchy.