‘Breaking the chains’: reflections on the making of an ethnographic documentary on human rights violations against people with mental illness in Indonesia

Abstract

Breaking the Chains is an ethnographic documentary about the use of physical restraint and confinement of people with mental illness in Indonesia, a practice known as pasung. The film contributes to an understanding of the socio-cultural meanings of pasung, the sets of beliefs and customs that support such practices (including beliefs about mental illness and healing), and the challenges that must be overcome to eradicate this human rights abuse while highlighting the efforts to eradicate this practice at several levels. This article provides a reflection on the author's experiences and motivations for making Breaking the Chains. It also presents an opportunity to reflect upon the use of film as an applied, public and activist research methodology and the limits and possibilities presented by relying on film-documentary as a ‘generator’ of ethnographic knowledge.