Ela Bicera writes about Jeremias Nyangoen’s debut film which tackles the abuse that Women from Rote Island experience, and their resiliency to fight back. Spoilers are present in this review.
Rote Island is one of the many islands located in Indonesia, known as a great surfing location with amazing coral reefs and rock formations, an alternative to the crowded Bali. Surely, Rote Island is known for its beauty, along with its local females. I wonder if the island and the women could speak to each other, what do you think they will discuss?
Women from Rote Island (2023) shows how Orpha, a resilient and tough mother, now stands as the breadwinner of the family after her husband Abraham passed away. As she is working harder to raise her daughters, another tragedy will fall upon her mentally-challenged daughter Martha, who came back distraught-looking from abroad.
The culture and practices in Rote Island are strongly adhered to, such as mingling and giving back to your neighbors. They act like a whole family, not just being familiar with one another but also owing them their lives without any reason. Such a rich and lively community to see, not until you realize that they also have the same narrow mindset. They’re like sheep flocking together, may it be for a celebration and tragedy of one another. And if one is deemed different, their shepherds (male elders and village chief) will straighten them out, or else they’ll be left behind. In the film, being a woman alone is a huge challenge, like a mistake that needs to be corrected. In the case of Orpha alone, she’s already receiving some fuss for running errands as a newly-widowed woman. Older men are eyeing obedient and strong-willed Bertha for marriage, and even if Martha arrived only a few days after her father was buried, the men are already thirsting over her. The case of mental health and keeping the family dignity are other issues shown in the film, and are still occuring not just in Rote Island, but also in other islands across Indonesia.
With the booming 1950’s horror-like music in the background, the film tries to reiterate the significance of telling this story as this is based in real life. However, I feel like it tries so hard that the film delved more on the abuse/rape scenes that happened, to the point that the camera itself is so focused on the details of the tragedy. Despite all this, It is somehow effective in triggering the audience’s emotions.
Director Jeremias Nyangoen did not back down on her debut film, bringing rage and a voice to many women from Indonesia. She stated that the film aims to bring awareness of sexual harassment and assault happening in the small communities from Indonesia, along with the call for discussion of Mental Health effects of such incidents to the victims and their families. I like how she incorporated this goal to the end of her film. A simple take, but a stronger and clearer message towards action.
There is a scene in the film, wherein Martha took off her clothes and ran off to the strong waves of the vast beautiful sea of Rote. Such a simple scene, but it speaks volume as to how the once-deserted Rote Island and its female locale like Martha, Bertha and Orpha are being stripped and possessed with strangers who only sees beauty as a product to devour.
The waves are coming in stronger, and the women are roaring louder.
‘Women from Rote Island’ is one of the films featured under the New Horizons section of the QCinema International Film Festival 2023.
