Teguh Karya returns to motherhood theme in TV film

Teguh Karya returns to motherhood theme in TV film

By Yenni Kwok

JAKARTA (JP): Motherhood appears to be Teguh Karya's
fascination. A glance at the 61-year-old filmmaker's
distinguished career reveals it as a central theme in several of
his movies.

His highly acclaimed Ibunda (Mother), for which he received
the Indonesian film community's Citra award for best original
screenplay, revolves around the matriarch of a Javanese family.
Doea Tanda Mata's protagonist is the nationalist Gunadi, who has
two women giving him motherly protection.

Teguh recently finished a television movie on motherhood
entitled Perkawinan Siti Zubaedah (Siti Zubaedah's Marriage).
Scheduled to be aired on May 27, it is the last part of Televisi
Pendidikan Indonesia's (TPI) trilogy dealing with maternity,
childbirth and motherhood. The series is a joint-production
between TPI, John Hopkins University in the United States and the
National Family Planning Coordinating Body (BKKBN).

The first part of the trilogy, Garin Nugroho's Angin Rumput
Savana (The Wind in the Savannah), detailed conflicting modern
and traditional values as the main character finishes her
schooling and is coerced into an arranged marriage. Slamet
Rahardjo directed the second installment, Oh Ayah Oh Ibu Selamat
Pagi (Good Morning, Mom and Dad), with the focus on a woman's
lingering trauma from witnessing her mother's death after
childbirth.

Each director has stamped his individual approach on exploring
the theme of maternity. Garin's Angin Rumput Savana is an
anthropological journey to the remote Sumba island, while
Slamet's film is a psychological observation.

Perkawinan Siti Zubaedah appears more like a light theater
piece than a straight television film. The occasional dim
lighting, the down-to-earth costumes (instead of the flashy
wardrobe that has invaded Indonesian television films), dramatic
dialog and expressions give away the theatrical traits.

Set in a Jakartan kampong, the film explores the tortured
relationship between a devoted wife, Zubaedah (Ayu Azhari), and
her arrogant husband, Kodjat (Alex Komang). Although newlyweds,
their marriage has soured since the beginning.

Kodjat looks at Zubaedah with disdain because he believes she
was too easily seduced into sleeping with him before their
marriage. Indeed, Kodjat married Zubaedah because he had to take
responsibility for taking away her virginity.

Most of the time, Zubaedah has to bite her lip to endure her
husband's orders and demands. Not to mention his unreasonable
jealousy that Zubaedah is still attracted to her high school
sweetheart, Duduh (Jedi Saputra).

Although Zubaedah becomes pregnant, Kodjat's chauvinistic and
authoritarian attitude does not change. He still demands that his
wife do heavy household chores, which almost cause her to
miscarry. Kodjat's heart is finally softened when she delivers
the baby.

"Kodjat is very proud of his male nature. He still has some
old values that a man has to dominate and take control of
things," said Alex, who has been a mainstay of Teguh's films.

In contrast to Kodjat's heartless character, Zubaedah is
depicted as almost saintly. Although she lives in cosmopolitan
Jakarta, the idea of woman's independence does not seem to touch
her life. She is perhaps an ideal wife for traditional men. She
stays home, attends her husband's needs and is devoted to him.
She hardly raises her voice to him; when she is upset, she cries.

But Ayu argues that Zubaedah is in fact a strong woman. "She
has an inner strength. When the husband leaves her, she tries to
make her own living by selling banana fritters."

Teguh, who also wrote the film's screenplay, has his own
reasons why the character Zubaedah is so submissive. "It is a
depiction of a traditional Betawi family," he said. "In a Betawi
household, a husband is higher in the hierarchy than his wife."

Interestingly enough, although the 59-minute film is about a
traditional community, it does not carry any preaching tones
about morality. It does not condemn Kodjat and Zubaedah's
premarital sex. The concern is more about people's traditional
place and responsibility in the community. Women, such as
Zubaedah and her mother, belong in the home. Even if a woman goes
out, such as Zubaedah looking for her absent husband, she needs
to be accompanied by the protective male presence of her brother.

Shot mostly in Teguh's own neighborhood of Kebon Pala, Tanah
Abang, the film captures the realistic scene of a Jakartan
kampong. However, don't expect coarse dialog like in television
series Si Doel Anak Sekolahan, which is also about a Betawi
family. Teguh's script does not use Jakartan slang words like gue
(meaning "I") or elu ("you"), and opts for polite Indonesian
words of saya and kamu instead.

"Elu and gue originated from Chinese language," reasons the
winner of seven Citra awards as best director and five for best
film. "They are not Indonesian words."

To avoid too serious dialogs, which are alien to a
Betawi community, Teguh maintains their witty and direct
expressions. When Zubaedah tells Duduh about her marriage to
Kodjat, she says, "I apologize... My fate is in the hands of that
bearded man."

Although the idea of the trilogy originates from concern about
the country's high maternal mortality rate, Perkawinan does not
fall into a health propaganda film or moral diatribe.

No medical professional appears to give cautionary lectures on
the issue. Instead, most of the film is played out in the family
house because Teguh believes efforts to save a mother's life
should begin in the home.