THE BOYCOTTING OF 'KUCUMBU TUBUH INDAHKU' AS A THREAT TOWARDS FILM AND LOCAL INDONESIAN CULTURE

Alexei Wahyudiputra, Sandra Ohst

Abstract


Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku, or internationally known as “Memories of My Body”, is an Indonesian movie directed by Garin Nugroho, which raises awareness on LGBT themes in its portrayal of a teenage boy's journey in becoming a Lengger dancer. The movie can be considered as a biographical film for its plot that is loosely based on one of the Lengger Lanang performers’ personal life. The release of this movie in 2019 has significantly stirred the Indonesian public, accumulating controversy from various parties on the morality aspect of the movie. The objective of this research is to discover whether the boycotting acts towards the movie have affected film culture and the existence of Lengger as a part of local Indonesian culture in a threatening manner. This research incorporates qualitative analytical methods by focusing on textual analysis approach. Theories used within the study consist of the Apparatus Theory, signifying that cinema is a representation of a certain ideological reality, and the Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, which refers to the focus on power relations and its effects on social practices. The public’s response of banning and restricting the movie portrays the lack of acceptance of the reality the movie represents, therefore dismissing Indonesian tradition and the role of cinema as a whole, signifying how apprehensiveness in receiving Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku acts as a threat towards local and film culture. 

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