Opera Jawa: A Story about Javanese Woman' Resistance

Abstract

Opera Jawa (2006) is a movie by Garin Nugroho. It is a dance movie that tries to combine musical, dance, and art' literacy in a cinematographically frame. Opera Jawa tells about Javanese people's life. Narratives about Javanese women manifested through songs in Javanese musical instruments' (gamelan) accompaniment which is flowing, plaintive and' expressive. Opera Jawa's story was inspired by the epic Ramayana tale which revealing the triangular relationship between Rama, Shinta and Ravana. This free adaptation brings up Siti,a woman and wife of the Javanese family, which tells about the nature of women through the symbols of vitality, power, and greed. One of the most prominent subjects in this movie is the rice-steamer. 'This kitchen utensil is used to cookrice, which implies about the viability of the Javanese. Rice-steamer on Siti's hand becomes a means of resistance against the nature of women. Siti became the role models of supremacy value, loyalty, as well as suffering. Siti, as pictured at the end of the movie, explains that the two men who want to preserve her are the real example of a man who dominated by lust of power, greed, ownership, and VIOlence.This-movie is a portrayal of man who failed to interpret the sense of humanity.