MERANTAU
Indonesia, 2009, 114 minutes, Colour.
Iko Uwais, Sisca Jessica, Christine Hakim, Mads Koudal.
Directed by Gareth Evans.
Merantau is the second feature from Welsh-born writer-director Gareth Evans. He made a feature film in the UK, Footsteps (2006). He then made a martial arts documentary where he discovered Iko Uwais and employed him for this film. Evans was to go on to make the internationally successful action drama, The Raid. The Raid focuses more on style rather than content – a raid on a public building by a police force, trying to get gangsters, trapped in the building, fighting for their lives. This film is very much focused on the action, the choreography, the cinematic style rather than the characterisations. It was a successful martial arts film – but mainly for devotees.
This film is more measured. It focuses on a young man in Sumatra who is about to go on his rite of passage, Merantau. This means that he must go out into the world, find his place and succeed against all odds. He is blessed by his mother, by his older brother who has already performed the rite.
The plot is fairly straightforward from then on – the young man is enthusiastic, meets a friend on a bus, is given references for a place which is derelict and a phone number which does not answer. He comes across a young boy who steals his bag and chases him, encountering his sister who is being bullied by a pimp and is forced into prostitution. He fights the pimp, later encounters the European boss behind the racket. The young woman is afraid of him, and resents his interference. However, he rescues her again and sends her and the young boy to his mother. In the meantime he has a fight with the European boss, kills him but is fatally wounded.
The aftermath of the film has the young woman settled with the mother and the young boy going to school – in the line of the young man who is imaged by his mother.
Merantau and The Raid were significant cinematic steps forward for the Indonesian film industry.
1. The impact of the film? Authentic Indonesian atmosphere? Martial arts? Squalid life of the poor in Indonesia? Human trafficking?
2. The location photography, the village in Sumatra, the outskirts of Djakarta, the slums, the poorer areas? The musical score?
3. The title, its meaning, the ritual? Yuda and his preparation, the influence of his older brother, his life in the family, his mother? His setting out with their blessing?
4. The character of Yuda, on the bus, his being befriended, the address and the phone number, nobody being at the address, the phone number not answering? His staying the night in the huge pipes? Going to the bar, the little boy stealing his bag, the chase? Encountering Astri and the pimp, his brutality? Yuda and his attack, the fight? Astri’s resentment? His friendship with the little boy? Encountering Astri once again, Ratger and his brutality? Leading up to the fight with Ratger? Ensuring Astri’s safety and that of the boy? His being fatally wounded? His fulfilling his mission – but fatally?
5. The background of human trafficking, the pimp and his brutality, wanting the money, attacks on Astri? Astri and her being trapped? Her being abducted from home? Her being lined up with the other girls? Ratger and his demands? His brutality towards Astri? Her being rescued? Her initial resentment? Her going with her brother to Yuda’s mother?
6. Ratger, his character, brutality, the European influence? His sidekicks? The pimp? The fight with Yuda? His death? Killing Yuda?
7. The martial arts sequences? The particular styles of martial arts and choreography?
8. The aftermath, Astri and her brother with Yuda’s mother? The mother seeing Yuda in the young boy?
9. A contribution to the developing Indonesian film industry?
